Endearing Families
by VulcanTrekkie
Summary: A pair of deer. Clint never imagined deer would bring his family closer together, let alone strengthen the bonds with his teammates. As it turned out, it couldn't have come at a better time. With Wanda in shambles, Clint's dangerous job, and a looming Civil War, a family isn't always perfect, but they grow stronger with each fight. The memories made along the way are worth that.
1. A Pair of Deer

Clint stared down his target. His world was serene as he let out a steady breath, his muscles sore but relaxed in the familiar position of an arrow knocked in his bow.

But that stance was just as quickly replaced with a new one from the simple motion of his fingers releasing the string. Time seemed to slow as he watched the arrow fly flawlessly through the air. It seemed to take ages but in reality, it was only a split second before it hit a tiny red dot on a tree trunk forty yards away.

Clint let a smirk grace his lips, "Too easy," He mumbled before strolling towards the tree, making sure to take his time and breathe in the fresh forest air surrounding his farm property.

The battle of Sokovia happened only a few weeks ago and the team was still healing, but it had been a longer few weeks for Clint and his family. His wife had just given birth to baby Nathaniel Pietro Barton last week, so between hospital stays, trying to let his injuries heal, and checking in on Wanda and the team, he had to admit, he was run down.

Laura was even more so, from giving birth after the events of Sokovia, hosting a team of 'laying low' superheroes, spilling the can of their existence to those heroes, and not to mention the worry of Clint being injured on the previous mission to retrieve the scepter... He couldn't complain. All they both needed was a break, and this forest archery practice was the first break he'd had in ages.

Before Clint pulled the arrow out of the tree trunk, he smiled at the sight of hitting the tiny dot dead center. He wasn't surprised, he never missed, he was just proud he kept his aim in prime condition.

He examined the tip of his arrow, noticing that it became dull from hours of use today. Clint made a mental note that he would have to sharpen it when he got home, but he honestly didn't know when he could get around to it.

Putting the arrow back in his quiver, he was about to head back to the house when he heard a rustling behind him. Senses immediately going into overdrive, he quickly ducked behind a tree to cover himself from what might be lurking.

Through his racing mind, he determined that it was too loud to be a small forest critter, as it walked on the mix of dead leaves from last fall and the new spring grass. It almost sounded like footsteps.

Tightening the bow in his hand, he silently brought an arrow out of his quiver upon realizing the noise stopped. For a few moments, Clint simply listened, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him before hearing them start up again. But this time it was different. This time, there were two sets of the sound.

Cautiously looking out from behind the tree, he tried to find the source of the noise, immediately seeing a blur rush past him. As it hid in the underbrush before he could get a good look at who it was, he paused for only a moment before springing into action.

Clint advanced in the direction of the blur, positioned behind the bush they rushed passed only seconds ago. Instead of going in and shooting on the spot, Clint decided to take in his bearings first to see what he was up against. It was likely they weren't aware of his position so he had the upper hand.

Slowly, he looked over the bush concealing them, only to find... a pair of deer. An immense wave of relieve rushed through him as he let out a sigh. He almost laughed as he thought back to just seconds ago, thinking someone was roaming around his forest. He had to admit, ever since the new edition to his family he had grown increasingly on edge. He just wanted to make sure his family stayed safe, and after his missions with the Avengers, he'd come to learn that anything can happen at any time.

But he also couldn't help but smile while observing the doe and buck not far away from where he hid. They weren't oblivious though as they quickly noticed Clint, armed and ready. They hesitated only for a moment before sprinting off in the opposite direction, deeper into the forest.

Clint stood up, finally relaxing his bow, and started heading back to his house. He hadn't seen deer on his property in years, so out of everything he could imagine, he wasn't expecting to see that today.

It didn't take long before he reached the farm surrounded by the forests he roamed, instantly being greeted by Natasha who was sitting on the couch holding baby Nate in her arms.

After briefly glancing at Clint, she smiled down at the child she cradled. "What? You couldn't have stayed out hunting longer?" She quietly remarked.

Clint hung his bow on a rack near the door, a smile spreading across his face. "You know I don't hunt, but sorry I interrupted your moment," He said and plopped down next to his best friend, spreading his arms out along the couch frame.

She smirked as she observed the sleeping child. "Well, he may be a traitor, but he's an adorable traitor."

Natasha made a move to pass Nathaniel to him, but Clint simply raised one of his hands to indicate she could hold onto him a while longer. It was a rare occasion that Clint would see his friend smile like this, so he wanted to let her moment last.

She didn't complain as she continued to slightly rock the baby. After a moment, Clint let out a breath. "Thank you for coming by, Nat. You don't know how much it means to Laura and I that you're helping us."

"It's the least I can do, Clint. I know how busy these past few weeks have been, and I know how much you both need a break. Besides, getting to spend time with the Barton rascals is always an added bonus," She said as she referred to Lila and Cooper. Natasha was surprisingly close to the kids, it was a feat she never thought she could manage but somehow, she did. And she wouldn't have it any other way, but it wasn't like she was going to admit that to anyone.

They shared a grin as Clint sunk deeper into the couch, eyes now fixed on his week old son. His grin only grew.

As the silence stilled the air for a few minutes, Clint finally broke it. "When does training start for the new recruits?"

"Next week," Natasha replied quietly so she wouldn't wake up the child. "We're going to be taking it slow though, wait for everything to heal and calm down a bit more before beating them into shape. That means I'll be able to visit in between training days, help out some more."

He nodded but hesitated on the question he was really trying to ask. Eventually, that question slipped out. "Is Wanda doing okay?"

Natasha shrugged. "She's managing. It's hard, but she's a tough kid. She'll get through it. We did, she has our stubbornness," She added to try and convince Clint she would be okay, but even she had to admit it was weak support.

Sure, both Clint and Natasha had to experience just as rough situations in their life and childhood, probably even worse because Wanda actually had friends now to help her through it, but it wouldn't make her struggle easy and it sure as hell wouldn't make it any less painful. She lost her brother, the one person she loved, and that was something she frankly could never get over, no matter how much time passed.

"Why don't we invite her over?" Clint thought aloud. "When you come to visit between training sessions, you can bring her along. It might help."

"I'll propose the idea to her," She simply answered. They knew there was a chance Wanda would deny the request because family was a touchy subject at the moment and she had every right to refuse the invitation.

"If she's comfortable with it, she's more than welcome here any time. After losing…" Clint drifted as he didn't have the heart to say her brother's name aloud. "I just think she could use some family right now."

There was silence as the two of them reflected on the events in Sokovia. Pietro's death took a toll on everyone in some way, but the toll it took on Wanda was infinitely greater. None of them could truly understood what she was going through. They were trying to help her in any way they could, but she was holding back. She didn't trust the team quiet yet, so helping was proving to be difficult.

Clint pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache formed from thinking too much in his sleep deprived state, but that was when he suddenly realized... the house was silent. That rarely happened in the Barton household. "Where is everyone?"

"Laura is trying to get some sleep and the kids are in their rooms."

"Lila and Cooper are _silently_ in their rooms?" Clint said, a bit shocked as that rarely happened.

Natasha smirked. "What can I say, they listen to Auntie Nat when she says they need to be silent and let their mom sleep... or else."

"Threatening the kids Nat? Really? I thought we talked about this?" He mocked as Natasha simply shrugged. The kids did know that Natasha and he were both capable of a lot of... questionable feats due to their jobs, but the kids also realized that no matter what they would never hurt them.

But it wasn't until then that Clint realized how tired he also was from his beginning headache and eyes naturally starting to close in the comfort of the sofa. He and Laura had barely gotten sleep these past few days, constantly getting woken up by Nathaniel in the late hours of the night. He decided that he might as well take advantage of this current opportunity of Natasha taking care of Nate and catch some much needed sleep.

Clint placed a hand lightly on Nate's tiny head, being careful to not wake him up but also wanting to feel his new son's warmth. He left it there a moment before standing up and replying, "I'm going to catch some shuteye too. Thanks for helping, Tasha."

She acknowledged him without a word before he disappeared up the stairs. After quickly checking on Lila and Cooper, he changed into jogging pants and a t-shirt, and climbed into bed next to his wife. He fell asleep almost the instant his head hit the pillow with a smile apparent on his face.

 _Home._ It was surreal to finally have a home to come back to. No matter how tough raising a family was, it was worth every sleepless struggle just to have a place to feel safe and happy. After living most of his childhood without a real place to call home, he was unbelievably grateful to have what he did now. But what made it even better was the fact that Clint could finally share his home with the friends he loves after keeping his family a secrete from them for years.

They may be superheroes, but they weren't invincible. No one could be an Avenger 24/7, everyone needed a place to lay low.

A place to call home.

* * *

 **This is a series of connected one-shots revolving around the Barton family and their relationships with each other, the Avengers, and more. Some of these chapters will be fluff and some will be hurt/comfort as there are many challenges the family faces since Clint's difficult job constantly affects them all.**

 **The deer will be an underlying plot that will continue throughout most of these stories, as a way to connect them together and add in opportunities for more sweet moments, but not all these one-shots will heavily revolve around the deer. The deer will appear more in the first few chapters, but over time they will appear less and may just drop a mention of them or not even include them. It all depends on the one-shot.**

 **All in all, this is a story of wholesome family fluff with a sprinkle of pain as they will face challenges such as the repercussions of Pietro's death, hunting season, Civil War, and many more!**

 **If you have ideas for cute family/friendship moments with the Barton's and Avengers, hit me up! I'm open to writing more cute interactions so you can make a comment, or PM me, and I'll see if I can include them!:)**

 **Enjoy these tales of Endearing Families!**


	2. When Friends Visit

"I can't Laura. Nat's not here to help and I can't let you…."

Laura cut him off. "Clint, I can handle the kids for a few hours. Lila's being very helpful with her baby brother and I know you need some space. You've been cooped up in the house for two weeks straight, and I know that's not healthy for you. Go outside and get some air, you need it."

Clint bit his lip. He didn't want to leave Laura alone. "But…"

"No buts. I know you worry about something happening while you're gone, but we'll be fine." Laura assured as she took Clint's right hand. "You've been so worried about us Clint that you aren't worrying about yourself, so it's my job to do it for you. Go outside, and don't come back until three. That's an order."

After looking at her for a moment, he caved under her orders. With a sigh, he placed his other hand on top of hers, gently rubbing her soft skin. "Yes ma'am. But if you need anything, anything at all, just call me. I won't be too far away."

They gave each other a kiss before letting go, and just like that, Clint once again found himself practicing archery in the forest.

Clint didn't realize how much tension he was holding until he released a few arrows from his grasp. It took him a good hour of practice before he felt his tension lessen, and it would still be a good while longer before he could really relax.

After another hour, he found himself walking through the forest, trying to ease his thoughts and worries. He took his time, just waiting for the moment his cellphone would ring, telling him that something was wrong at the house. But when that moment never came, his nerves slowly started to ease.

Clint continued his walk. Knowing this property like the back of his hand, he quickly caught on when something was off. Clint hoped it wasn't dangerous.

He narrowed his eyes as he bent down, looking at a fresh layer of mud from last night's rainfall. In it were tracks, but not tracks from animals he usually saw in this area. By what he could tell, they were deer tracks.

Up until that moment Clint had completely forgotten about seeing the deer the other week he was out here. He assumed that they would have moved onto another property in the area, but apparently they stuck around his land. He smiled at the idea that they made a home where his family decided to call home.

Clint stood up, following the tracks to find out if the deer decided to roam in a specific area. He eventually tracked them down to a small den in between a fallen tree and bushes.

He kept his distance, peering through the dead branches to find a doe and buck cuddling in what appeared to be their home. Clint leaned against a tree, a grin spreading wider across his face as he stood there for minutes on end, silently watching them.

At some point, the buck became aware of his presence and glared at Clint to see if he was a threat. Clint didn't move a muscle and let the buck continue staring. The deer wanted to make sure this mystery man wasn't going to use the arrows on his back.

After a while, the buck seemed to relax at Clint's presence, but it still kept a close eye on him.

Clint made a slow movement in order to sit on the uneven forest floor, back still against the tree. He stretched one leg out while he let his elbow rest on his bent knee. Taking a deep breath of the damp air, he closed his eyes as he leaned his head back. He listened to the noises all around him, the chirping of spring birds, the wind blowing through the fresh leaves, and the squirrels running on top of the tree branches.

He was relaxed, for the first time in weeks. Laura was right, like always. He needed this, he needed the space. If only just for a few hours, he often needed it, even if he didn't always realize how much.

Laura knew that he lived outside most of his childhood when he was with the circus. Laura knew that he never got used to living inside a building after living outside of one for so long. Laura knew how much stress being trapped inside made him feel. Laura understood a lot about him that most people didn't, including himself, and that was one of the many reasons why he loved her.

Over the next few weeks, Clint was able to spend a bit more time outdoors as their family started getting into a rhythm with taking care of baby Nathaniel. It was still difficult to balance the fussy baby and care for the other children, but at least they were managing.

Without realizing, Clint often found himself back at the deer's den and by this point, they had gotten so used to his presence they practically ignored him.

On one of his trips out, he was sitting on a low tree branch when he heard a rumbling through the air. He turned to face the direction of the noise, not seeing anything. He started climbing higher in his tree to get a better vantage point, and as he stood on the last strong branch near the top, that's when he saw it.

Over the tops of these trees, Clint saw the quinjet landing in the empty fields of his farmland. He quickly climbed down and started jogging through the forest, exiting it within minutes. He jogged across the plain as he neared the jet, already seeing a few members of his team exit and conversing with Laura in front of the house.

"Nothing's wrong I hope. The Avengers weren't called in were they?" Clint asked as he finally reached Natasha and Wanda.

"No, we just decided to stop by for a surprise visit." Natasha said.

"Good." Clint smiled and turned to Wanda. "It's nice to see you again, Wanda. We missed you on Nat's last visit."

Wanda managed to come out to the farm a couple of times between training days, and Clint saw that as a significant improvement for her. Ever since Pietro died, it was hard for her to interact with the other Avengers. They could barely get her out of the Avengers training facility the first month after his death, but she soon decided to take the leap of visiting the Barton's on their farm. It was a hard adjustment to be within a family, and she was still adjusting to being with them, but they already saw some improvements in her overall mood and motivation from being here.

Wanda grinned. "Sorry, I was a bit busy last time. But it's good to be back. Really."

Suddenly, they all heard Lila and Cooper run out of the house. "Wanda!" Lila shouted as she ran up and hugged her.

"Hey Lila!" Wanda hugged back. "Man, it feels like ages since I've seen you!"

"I've missed you! You won't believe what happened this week!" Lila grinned as she started excitedly talking about her school week.

Everyone stood there, watching the sweet interaction of the three kids until they noticed Steve walk up from behind them.

"Cap? Now that's a surprise. I haven't seen you back here since we were all in hiding." Clint greeted his friend.

Steve simply smiled. "I figured it had been long enough. Plus, I wanted to see how everything was going."

"Is that so? I specifically remember dragging you out of that facility." Natasha smirked as she turned her attention to the Barton's. "He's been cooped up preparing lessons for the Avengers in training. Every weekend we've been out here he's made the same excuse to not come, but when he's 2 weeks ahead in lesson planning, there's not many excuses to fall back on."

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not that I didn't want to come see you guys…."

"He's starting to show some workaholic tendencies," Nat whispered as if it was a well kept secret.

Laura laughed. "Well, I'm glad that you three could make it. You're always welcome, unless you bring evil robots. In that case you better stay out."

Everyone laughed as they made their way into the house. They ate a warm meal and joked around the table, only catching up with each other properly when they were all sitting in the living room at the end of the night.

"So, how are the new Avengers coming along in their training?" Clint asked from his position next to Laura and Nathaniel on the couch.

Steve glanced at Wanda, who was helping the kids color a picture at the dinner table. "They're making significant progress. They're starting to work well as a team after a few rough training exercises, and they're improving control of their skills."

"Not bad for new Avengers." Clint stated as Steve gave a nod. "Now where does Tony fit in this picture? Is he helping you guys or is he still busy?"

"He stops in on occasion and completely throws cap's lesson plan out the window," Natasha said from her chair. "But he's being kept busy with Stark Industries right now."

Clint nodded in understanding as he stood up. "I guess his company never stops. Do any of you want coffee?"

"Caffeine? At this hour?" Steve raised an eyebrow.

Clint found the coffee pot and started making himself a cup. "It's always a good time for coffee. I guess that's a 'no' from Cap. Want some Nat? Laura? Wanda?"

Nat shook her head with Wanda agreeing. Laura was the only one who replied with a yes. Clint adjusted the amount he was making until Cooper asked, "Can I try some coffee, dad?"

"No," Laura simply said from the couch without turning her head.

"But mom…." Cooper complained.

"No," she said again, ending the argument.

Clint walked over to his son and ruffled his hair. "Sorry kiddo, if mom says 'no' then that's your answer." Clint leaned forward against the table. He admired the scattered, unfinished artwork before whispering to Cooper. "But I'll let you try it one of these days. Our secret."

Cooper grinned as he fixed his messed up hair and Wanda shared a knowing smile with Clint from across the table after overhearing him.

"What are you guys smiling about over there?" Laura narrowed her eyes at her husband, trying to figure out what he had whispered.

Clint simply pointed at the tabletop. "Their artwork, it's amazing! I swear these kids may just become artists one day."

Laura wasn't buying his response, but she decided to let the boys have their fun.

As the coffee finished up and Clint poured them into mugs, Steve asked, "So now that you guys are caught up on our lives, how's the Barton family?"

"Well," Laura let out a breath. "It's been busy. You'd think that it would get easier to care for a baby once you've cared for two, but it's just as hard as it is wonderful."

Clint came back from the kitchen with the mugs in his hands, putting one down on the coffee table for Laura as he took a seat next to her. He took a gulp of his black coffee before saying, "Yeah, I'm glad Fury's allowing me to take a few months of leave for this mission, I wouldn't be able to juggle two at once. This one takes priority anyway." He smiled at the sleeping Nathaniel in Laura's arms. There was a silent transaction as Clint put his mug down and carefully took the child into his own arms so Laura could take a much needed coffee break.

"I still don't understand how you manage to balance both your job out there and your job here, Clint." Steve mumbled. "Same with you, Laura."

Laura shrugged. "It helps when you get into patterns, like the kids helping out with chores, Clint helping me out when he's home, but we find many ways to balance out the stress. It's the little things."

Clint nodded. "Yeah, little things like giving Laura downtime to catch up on sleep and read. Me, I do target practice in the forest. We just have to all help out each other in this family in order for it to work."

"I'm surprised you managed that great of a feat, Clint." Natasha smirked. "I remember the days when you didn't work with anyone in Shield."

"Haha, Tasha." He rolled his eyes. "You weren't very cooperative either, you know. Still aren't."

She just laid back in her seat as she quirked an eyebrow, not denying the claim as she knew he was right.

There was a moment of silence before it was broken. "So do you guys own a part of the forest? Or does your property end on the edge?" Steve asked.

"We own a couple of forest acres of it before it branches off into our neighbor's property." Clint said. "I take advantage of it as often as possible."

"This man needs that forest to live," Laura laughed.

"Hey, a lot of things need that forest to live," Clint defended with a smile. "Like birds, deer, our friendly neighborhood squirrels…"

"Deer…" Laura smiled at the thought. "I haven't seen one of those around here in years."

"Actually, just recently a pair of deer moved in." Clint said.

"You saw a deer, daddy!?" Lila said excitedly as she ran up to the couch holding a paper in her hand. She was soon followed by Cooper and Wanda.

Clint looked down at Nate as he felt him squirm in his arms a bit from Lila's loud outburst. "Oh, sorry Nate." She whispered to her baby brother. "But what about the deer!" She said again in her hushed excitement.

Clint smiled just as brightly at her while he carefully moved over so Lila could sit next to him on the couch. "Yeah, a few weeks ago I noticed that they started sticking around. There's a male and female white tailed deer. I tracked down their den and it looks like they'll be living here a while."

"And why didn't you tell us this sooner, Mr. Hawkeye? You know how much we all love deer, dear." Laura smirked.

"I guess I forgot, we have been a bit busy."

"Can we see them dad?" Lila's eyes lit up.

"Yeah! Can we?" Cooper agreed.

Clint thought for a moment. "Well, we don't want to intrude on them too much, but I'll take you guys out for a look tomorrow after you help me run some errands in town."

"Yay!" Lila bounced a little in her seat before stopping as to not disturb Nathaniel.

Laura looked at the clock before turning back to the kids. "Well, that's tomorrow. Right now it's time for you two to get ready for bed. You guys can start brushing your teeth and I'll meet you up there in a few."

"Can't we stay up a little later with you guys?" Cooper asked in hopes of buying a few more minutes.

"Sorry Coop, it's already a half hour passed your bedtime." Clint said. "You have to get sleep for tomorrow after all."

"Fine," the disappointed twelve year old said.

Before Lila got up from the couch, she showed Clint the picture in her hand with a hopeful smile. "Do you like our drawing?"

Clint looked at the mix of artistic skills put into one child crayon picture. "Is that us?"

Lila nodded. "Yeah! That's you, Auntie Nat, Wanda, and Cap. You're all protecting our house." The eight year old said as she pointed to parts of the picture. Sure enough, the four Avengers were in front of their country house in it, seeming to stand guard.

"Wow, you guys really are artists," Clint said as he looked at it in awe. He was impressed for a children's picture.

"It was a group effort," Wanda said. "I personally had some input on the uniforms."

Clint laughed as he looked more at his uniform. He was wearing a purple uniform and purple mask. "I can tell. I never wear a bright purple mask."

Wanda deviously smirked. "Well Tony showed me some pictures that say differently….."

"Of course Tony did…." Clint mentally face palmed. "Well those were different times and for completely different reasons."

Wanda just mumbled, "Uh huh."

"I didn't get to see that drawing yet," Natasha said before Lila ran over to show her, Laura, and Steve the picture.

"Clint was right, this is really good. I think it's almost as good as the art Cap here makes." Natasha said.

Steve laughed when he saw the picture. "Almost as good? This is much better in my opinion."

Lila's smile grew as she gained their approval. "You draw?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, it's a hobby for when I'm not busy being a captain."

"Can I see your drawings sometime?" She asked excitedly.

He smiled. "Well, next time I visit I'll try to remember to bring my sketchbook."

Lila handed the picture to Steve. "Here, to help you remember."

A little part of Steve's heart melted at this action. "Really? Are you sure you want to part with such a beautiful masterpiece?"

Lila simply nodded with a grin still plastered on her face. Within a few seconds, she turned around and ran with Cooper to the steps.

"Goodnight Wanda! Auntie Nat! Cap!" Lila said as the two of them raced up the steps.

"Hey! No running in the house!" Laura called after them. Before she walked fully upstairs, she turned to Clint. "I'll help with the teeth brushing and pj's tonight, you're on tuck-in duty for all."

"Yes, ma'am," He nodded with the child still in his arms.

"Are you seriously getting them hooked on calling me Cap? I have a name you know," Steve laughed.

"I knew you would like it." Clint smirked while Steve rolled his eyes. "I'll be back in a few, guys. In the meantime you can figure out who's sleeping in the guest rooms and who's sleeping on the couch."

Clint walked up to their room and placed the silent Nathaniel in his crib. He let out a light chuckle as he thought about how this child could sleep through a storm, but still keep them up all night.

As the day was coming to a close in the Barton household, Clint was glad he could finally share his secret life with those who meant the most to him.


	3. Two Pairs Meet

"So…. when can I learn how to use a bow and arrow, dad?" Cooper asked his father, who had his bow and arrows slung over his shoulder. Clint was taking Lila and Cooper out to see the deer den so they were currently trudging through the forest.

He looked at Cooper for a moment before simply replying, "When you're older."

"But you always say that!" He complained. "When will I be old enough?"

Clint smiled. He liked his son's enthusiasm about learning archery, but the idea still unnerved him. "It's a weapon, a huge responsibility."

Cooper frowned. "So, you don't trust me?"

As they walked, Clint made eye contact with his son to show he was serious. "It's not about a question of trust in you, you've already earned that, Cooper. It's a matter of you trusting in the weapon yourself, and trusting in myself to know when it's the right time."

As Clint said that, he didn't voice one of his main concerns: he worried that Cooper would _have_ to learn for his family's own protection. His job constantly put them at that risk, and Clint didn't want the day to come where his family would need to learn some major defensive skill sets. He wanted their lives to remain as normal as possible, since he could never have that luxury.

Cooper nodded before looking down at the ground, still disappointed, as he continued. "We'll both know when the time is right." Clint said as he put his arm around Cooper's shoulder before pulling him into a side hug. "But until then, it's my job to be over protective." He laughed, making Cooper crack a smile.

"Oh, you're overprotective alright."

The three continued walking through the forest for a couple minutes when they neared the den. Before peering over the bush that blocked their view, Clint crouched down lower to face Cooper and Lila. "Now we're nearing their den, so we have to whisper. Deer have excellent hearing, and we don't want to disturb them too much."

The children nodded, Lila having the largest smile on her face as she could barely contain her excitement. She loved animals but has never seen a deer up close before.

As he stood up from their hiding spot, Clint frowned. "Well, here's their den, but it looks like they got an early start feeding..." He said as he looked at the empty spot under the fallen tree. "Sorry guys. We'll have to get an earlier start tomorrow."

The kids looked over at the den, disappointment on their faces. "Can't we try to find them, dad?" Lila asked.

Clint looked at his watch. "There's a lot of ground to cover you know, and they may not even be on our property right now. It'll be dusk soon and mom wants us home before dinner…."

"Please?" Lila hopefully insisted. "Just for a little while?"

"Well….." Clint thought for a moment. "Okay. But only if Cooper's willing."

Cooper nodded. "I'm up for it!"

Clint smiled. "Then let's see if we can find them! I know a couple popular grazing spots from when deer lived here a few years back."

The three continued their trek through the forest as a family. Clint laughed as the kids told him stories about school that week, from a kid throwing a pencil at a teacher and getting in trouble, to jokes their friends told each other, it was always fun to catch up with his kids' school lives.

It was over a good half hour later before they made any progress on finding the deer. As they were leaving one of the grazing spots, Clint noticed some fresh tracks. "They must have just been here..." He mumbled. "Let's see where they headed off to." He said as they started to quietly focus on following the tracks, Clint teaching Lila and Cooper a few things on how to properly follow them.

It wasn't long before they found the pair of deer eating various plants in a lush part of the forest. They kept their cover silently behind some trees. Lila was giddy with excitement and Cooper was observing them with awe.

It warmed Clint's heart to see the children as happy as he was when he observed the deer. It was the little things that made his day.

Only a minute went by before the buck raised its head from the bush it was munching on. He looked around, head finally stopping in their direction. There was a long pause before the deer hesitantly went back to eating, every so often looking their way.

"He smells us," Clint whispered as quietly as he could. "They have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. They've gotten used to my scent over the past few weeks, but you guys are new so he's a bit on edge."

"But we're a good 50 feet away at least, they can smell us that well?" Cooper asked, still in awe.

"Yeah, It helps them sense predators." Clint continued without breaking his sight of the deer. "It's pretty remarkable. The can smell you from a half mile away."

"They're like you," Lila noted, "They can sense the bad guys. You always know when something is wrong."

He laughed under his breath. "Yeah, I guess we do shared some similarities."

It was a short while of watching the deer eating plants in the area before Lila commented again. "Why are the buck's antlers fuzzy?"

"Ah," Clint said as he looked at the deer's antlers. "That's because they shed them every winter and grown new ones in the spring. Right now they are in their growing phase, meaning that the antlers are covered in a type of body tissue we call velvet. They will continue to have this velvet until it hardens in the fall, which gives them the hard appearance we usually think of antlers being."

The kids were fascinated by the facts their father had gathered throughout the years. They continued to ask questions before the deer sprinted off in another direction, taking one last look at the three before doing so.

Clint stood up from his crouched position, finally able to speak without whispering. "I guess that's our cue to leave too, we have to get back before dark or mom will have my head."

The two smiled and asked Clint more about the deer on the way back to the farm. When they got inside the house, they immediately bombarded Laura and the team with what they saw and learned.

The room was bright with the kid's excitement that night, and it was contagious throughout the whole household.


	4. Names

There was something different about the pair of deer these past few weeks. It took awhile for Clint to figure out what it was, but when he did, he knew he had to tell his family.

That night, as the 'Barton family movie and pizza party' was coming to a close, Clint knew that it was time to share the new information. When the end credits rolled around for _How to Train Your Dragon_ , Clint cleared his throat.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's something I need to tell you guys about the deer."

Clint received worried looks from his family, especially Lila. "What? What is it? Is something wrong?" She asked frantically.

"Well," Clint hesitated. "The past few visits I've noticed something different about them, especially the doe. She's been acting a bit weird and I'm afraid that…."

"What?" Lila asked again as Clint took a long pause in finishing his sentence.

"... She's going to have a baby soon."

Everyone's worried looks immediately changed into smiles. Lila squealed with joy while Cooper simply replied with an, "Awesome."

"Clint," Laura complained as she lightly pushed her husband sitting next to her. "Making us worry for nothing. That's great news!"

"When will the baby come?!" Lila bounced as she jumped up from the nest of blankets and pillows Cooper and her made in front of the tv. She ran over to sit on Clint's lap with anticipation.

"I don't know," Clint answered honestly. "It's hard to tell, but the fact that she is physically showing signs of her pregnancy means that it's only a matter of time."

Lila's contagious joy spread throughout the room before she realized something. "I think we should name them."

"The deer?" Clint asked for clarification.

"Yeah!" She smiled. "We can't just keep calling them buck and doe. That's like calling Nate, Baby."

"I think naming them is an excellent idea," Laura said as she ran her hand through her daughter's hair to get some knots out. "The question is, what do we name them?"

She thought for a moment before replying, "Maybe we should name them after flowers in the forest, like Daisy."

"We're not naming them after flowers," Cooper insisted as he sat up from laying on his stomach. "I get some say in this too, and we're not naming them after girly flowers."

"Flowers aren't girly! Guys like them too!"

"Maybe, but I don't. We aren't naming them after flowers," Cooper protested.

Lila pouted. "Fine, what do you want to name them then?"

Cooper smirked as he looked at his father. "I think we should call the buck, Hawkeye."

Clint coughed. "Now I get some say in this: No." Clint simply stated as he knew Cooper liked to joke around with his code name. "It's rather unfitting to name deer using the word, 'hawk,' anyways."

"How about we call the buck, Bucky." Lila said as she remembered some of the war stories Steve told them when he came over last. "I think Uncle Steve would like that name."

"Yeah, didn't he have a friend named Bucky back when he was fighting in the war? We can tribute that name to him." Cooper said.

The kids didn't know that Bucky was still alive under… unique circumstances. It was something Steve liked to keep on the down low, so they thought Bucky was a friend that eventually died from old age before Steve woke up in the twenty first century. Despite this fact, Clint still smiled, glad that they were at least getting somewhere with names.

"I think he'll like that name. Are we all in agreement?" Laura responded as nods went around the room. "One down, now what should we call the doe?"

Silence filled the room as they all thought of possible names. "I still like the flowers…" Lila tried again.

"No," Cooper groaned in annoyance.

"Well," Laura said as she tried to find a compromise. "Maybe we don't have to name her after flowers, but something else in the forest. I rather like the nature names."

"Like what? Are we supposed to call her squirrel? Or tree?" Lila said, not impressed with this compromise.

Cooper laughed to himself. "Hey, isn't there a tree called a Buckeye? We should call her that."

Clint rolled his eyes but laughed at how persistent he was. "We're not calling any of the deer something similar to my nickname, okay?"

"Well _okay_ , Hawkeye. Such a party pooper." Cooper smirked at his father.

"I mean, we have maple trees. Maybe we could call her Maple?" Laura said, throwing a random idea out there.

"I don't know…." Lila said, hesitant. "It doesn't really sound like a good deer name…."

"We don't have to name it after a tree, it could be a different plant…. Like a fern." Clint tossed an idea out, but he had to admit he wasn't good at thinking of names.

"Fern doesn't sound right either…." Cooper agreed as he thought for a moment. "How about Ivy? That's a better name I think."

Clint looked at Laura, silently agreeing that was a good name. "Well, I like that name. What do you think Lila?" He said to the child on his lap.

She thought for a moment, still pouting because she wanted to name her after a flower. Finally, she agreed. "Okay, Ivy isn't _that_ bad."

"Then it's settled," Laura stated proudly. "Ivy and Bucky it is. Should we wait until the fawn is born before we decide on a name?"

The two kids nodded. "We have to see if it's a boy or girl before we name it, silly." Lila laughed.

"That's true," Laura laughed. "I think this has been a successful meeting, we actually got both of you to agree on something."

"Then I say we end our movie night meeting on a high note, time for bed you two." Clint said as he picked Lila up from his lap and put her down so he could stand.

"Aww," the two kids complained in unison. "But it's a Friday, can't we stay up a little later?" Cooper added.

"It _is_ a Friday, isn't it? You guys must be tired from the school week, so you should go to bed immediately, after cleaning up your nest." Clint smirked as he ushered the kids along. They groaned, but complied with his commands and quickly folded the blankets and put back their pillows. Within a few minutes, they were finished and heading upstairs to get ready for bed.

Clint and Laura threw out the empty pizza boxes and cleaned up the room. "Bucky and Ivy…." Laura said with a bright grin. "Those are cute names for the deer."

"Yeah," Clint agreed. "But I wonder how Cap will react to naming the male, Bucky…."

"Well, since the kids came up with it, I think he'll agree it's a sweet sentiment."

Clint nodded, still a little unsure of what his reaction might be because he knew how Bucky was a touchy subject for the Captain. But Clint continued to put the dirty plates in the sink, hoping he would like it. "Do you want to check if they're settled in, or should I?"

"I can do it, you can start on the dishes." She smiled.

"Oh giving me the fun job, I see how it is." Clint joked as he turned to his wife and planted a kiss on her forehead. After a short embrace, they went their separate ways with their own smirks.

When Clint was alone he started scrubbing away the mess on the plates. A minute later he mumbled to himself, "I never liked washing dishes….."


	5. Birthday Surprise

"We're glad you could make it, Cap. Lila would have been really disappointed if you couldn't come," Clint said to his friend as the two lounged around in the living room one evening.

"Well, I didn't want to disappoint her. Especially on her birthday," Steve smiled without looking up from his sketchbook.

Clint noticed that Steve had been working on that same page of his book all day. Curiosity getting the best of him, he eventually asked, "What are you drawing anyways?"

"Just a little present for Lila," He simply replied. "I didn't know what to get her for her birthday, but since I know she likes my drawings, I thought that I could draw her something."

"Why all the secrecy though? Can't I have a peek at it?" Clint teased from his spot on the chair across from Steve's couch.

Finally, Steve looked up from his art with a devious grin. "Nah, I want it to be a surprise for you too."

"Well _okay_ , Captain Cryptic." Clint said sarcastically as he grabbed his coffee from the side table.

As Steve was finishing up his charcoal pencil drawing, Natasha walked downstairs closely followed by Wanda and excited children ready to eat cake.

"Evening boys," She said as the kids ran into the kitchen, Wanda in close pursuit to make sure they stayed out of trouble. Natasha then walked over to see what Cap was up to. "Laura will be down in a few, after she finishes changing Nate. That's a nice picture…"

"Oh, she gets to see it? Interesting…" Clint joked as she just rolled her eyes.

Steve laughed. "You'll see it soon enough, Clint. Just hold your horses."

When he finally finished his drawing, He carefully ripped it out of his sketchbook and placed it face down as he got a picture frame from his bag. Putting the art in without showing Clint, he hid it back in his bag for later.

The team heard a loud racket coming from the kitchen, and Clint turned his head to see what the kids were doing. "You better not be destroying anything in there."

"We're fine," Wanda replied, but Clint went into the kitchen to see what they were up to anyway. The loud racket was just them getting out the plates and utensils in order to eat the cake sooner. Clint helped them prepare, getting out nine candles and a lighter. In no time, Laura came down with the smiling Nathaniel in her arms and the family all sang, "Happy Birthday," to Lila.

Clint was in charge of cutting and distributing the vanilla frosted, chocolate cake, and as he did he noted that Steve was standing slightly apart from the crowd. Once Clint finished his job and grabbed himself a piece of cake, he leaned against the kitchen counters next to Steve as he watched his family and friends gather around the table. There wasn't enough space at the table for everyone to sit down anyways.

Clint noticed the slight tension in Steve's shoulders. "Still trying to get used to… all this?" He asked between mouthfuls of the dessert.

Steve nodded slightly. "Yeah," he said as he picked at the food on his plate. "Ever since I woke up, there's just something about the 'white picket fence life' that unnerves me."

There was a moment between them where they didn't say anything. Instead, they watched as the kids got in a heated debate over which flavor of cake was the best. Natasha and Wanda occasionally voicing their opinions for fun.

"Your white picket fence life isn't too bad though, you have a great family." Steve smiled.

Clint laughed as the he saw Cooper throw a crumpled napkin in Lila's direction, clearly disapproving that chocolate cake was the best flavor. Laura had to tell him not to throw anything while holding the bouncing baby in her arms. "Yeah, I love this mess of a family. With Shield and the Avengers, I don't nearly get to spend enough time with them."

"Ever talk to Fury about that?"

"Oh, trust me when I say I've tried. Many times. He's a stubborn one, that Fury. I'm surprised he gave me this six month leave out of the goodness of his own heart." Clint said as he finished scrapping the frosting off of his plate. "But knowing Fury, he'll still send me on a mission or two during this leave anyway."

"That sounds like him," Steve laughed.

Their conversation was put on hold as everyone finished off their cake and Lila got up from her seat. "Is it time for presents?"

Clint put his plate in the sink next to him. "I believe it is."

Lila's smile grew as she ran into the living room, where a few presents were stacked on the coffee table. As everyone relocated and got comfortable, Lila opened her gifts. From clothing to new art supplies, she was satisfied with this birthday's hull.

As she finished off the last wrapped gift, hugging and thanking everyone, Steve took out his gift.

"Waiting for the finale to unveil it, I see." Clint smirked, but he was also glad he could finally see what his friend had been working on all day.

"Gotta save the best for last," Natasha said with a knowing smile.

Steve smiled at his work once more before handing the frame over to Lila. "I didn't know what to get you, so I decided to draw you something. Sorry I didn't have time to wrap it."

As she looked at the picture in the frame, her smile grew wider than ever. She stood there in awe for a moment before she bear hugged Steve. He was startled for a tense second, but he eventually hugged back, much to everyone's surprise. In all the visits he'd made, none of them had ever seen Steve hug the kids. He'd always found some way to avoid it. "Thank you Uncle Steve! This is the best present **ever**!"

Steve simply beamed, "Well I'm glad you like it, Lila."

"What's it a picture of?" Laura asked as she, too, hadn't seen it yet. Instead of answering, Lila just stood the frame up on the coffee table so everyone could see. The room lit up as they saw that Steve drew a picture of their family. Clint was standing next to Laura, one arm around his wife and the other on Cooper's shoulder. Lila was standing in front of Laura who had one hand around her, and Lila was holding their new brother Nathaniel. It may have been a grayscale drawing, but Steve had managed to catch even the smallest of features realistically.

"Wow," was all anyone could say as they looked at the handmade family photo in front of them. They all sat there in silence for a few moments as each person in the room admired it, with the occasional noise made by Nate. Laura was the first one to comment.

"Steve, you really outdid yourself. This is beautiful!"

Steve had a genuine smile on his face as he saw the joyous impact on the Barton family. "I figured you guys needed an updated family photo, since you've been too busy to take new ones. Plus, I know how much Lila likes my artwork." Steve said as he shared a happy glance with Lila.

"Well, this certainly is a great surprise. I'm glad you didn't spoil it for me earlier," Clint grinned.

"Where are you going to keep your present, Lila?" Wanda asked.

The new nine year old grinned as she took the frame and put it on a side table that had other family photos on display. "I think everyone should be able to see it. It's amazing!"

"I think that's a brilliant idea," Laura said as Nathaniel started getting a bit fussy in her arms.

"Do you have any more art to show us, Cap?" Cooper asked with excitement.

Steve got his sketchbook out and sat down to look through it. "I may have a few new sketches in here…."

As the kids gathered around the Captain on the couch, Laura left briefly to put Nate to bed. Steve showed them his drawings, some were scenery, some were of the Avengers, and others were of people he remembered from the war.

After a short while, the kids pointed out one of the drawings. "Is that your friend from the war you told us about? Bucky?" Cooper asked.

Steve nodded, a bit hesitantly. "Yeah, that's Bucky."

The kids observed the picture of the man with long hair. "He has longer hair than the other picture you showed us." Lila commented.

"Yeah, the other one I showed you was him during the war," Steve replied. "After it ended, I found some pictures that showed he grew it out."

"Do you miss him?" Lila asked.

Steve's eyes softened, saddened by the loss of his friend. He may have discovered that Bucky was alive when Shield fell, but it still felt like he lost his best friend. Bucky barely remembered him, and that hurt even more. But Steve was still searching, and he was determined to find his best friend again to help him.

Finally, Steve answered Lila's question. "Yeah, I do miss him. He was a good man."

There was a moment of silence before Cooper spoke up. "We named the male deer after him, like a tribute. We named him, Bucky."

A grin instantly started growing on Steve's face at the mention of that. "Really? Did you name him yourselves?"

"Yeah," Lila said proudly. "Do you like it?"

Steve thought for a moment. "Bucky the buck…. It has a nice ring to it. I think it's a perfect name." He said with a laugh.

The worried faces of the Avengers disappeared after hearing that. They were the only ones aware of how sensitive a topic Bucky was to Steve, but they were glad he liked the kids sentiment towards his friend.

"What's the name of the female deer?" Natasha asked, curious.

"Ivy," Cooper replied.

"Ivy and Bucky…. I like that." Wanda smiled.

"Oh!" Lila jumped up as she remembered something. "Did you hear? The deer are having a baby!"

"Really? Wow, when did this happen?" Natasha asked as Lila ran up to her spot where she was sitting on the armrest of Clint's chair.

"We just found out a few days ago," She said excitedly. "The baby should be coming soon!"

Wanda spoke up. "Do you have any ideas for baby names?"

Cooper shook his head. "Not yet, we don't know if it's a boy or girl."

"Well, it doesn't mean we can't be prepared for both. We can turn it into a game and make guesses on what gender it's going to be," She grinned, almost deviously as if she was determined to win a bet.

"Yeah! You can help us think of names!" Lila said as they all started brainstorming.

The rest of Lila's birthday was filled with placing friendly bets on the gender and thinking of names for the deer. Everyone enjoyed spending the time with each other, and even Steve slowly started warming up to the white picket fence outside.


	6. A Fawn is Born

Clint always thought it was funny how a dramatic change could happen, yet he'd still be able to roll with it on instinct. One day, he might be home with his wife and family, and the next he'll be fighting hydra agents or aliens halfway across the world. One day, he might have two amazing children and the next he had three. One day, the two deer might be a couple and the next they started a family.

Today was the day when the deer they named Bucky and Ivy had a child of their own. Yesterday, it was just the two of them but today, everything changed. And they rolled with it like he did, instinctively knowing what to do.

Clint smiled as he watched the growing family from a tree branch. He knew that deer mothers were super overprotective of their newborns, so he gave them some extra distance this time. It reminded him of his own family and how he was overprotective of them. Clint kept them off of Shield's files to protect them, and he didn't even tell his friends about his family until a few months ago. If that didn't scream, 'overprotective father,' Clint didn't know what did.

The fawn had a reddish brown coat of fur, hundreds of white spots scattering its back. It was so tiny and fragile having only been born hours ago, and it was adorable. It reminded him of how adorable Nathaniel looked the day he was born. How adorable Lila looked the day she was born. How adorable Cooper looked the day he was born. The mother deer looked as Clint and Laura had on those momentous days, with that glint in her eyes and softened features. It was the universal look of unconditional love.

The mother deer was currently nursing the newborn, but not in their usual den. Clint had found them quite a distance from where the deer had been originally staying because they were making sure that the mother and father's scents didn't rub off on the child. It helped protect them from predators as baby deer were born with no scent of their own.

However, they didn't know that there were few predators in his neck of the woods. This was a pretty peaceful area overall, but Ivy still had to be protective, just in case.

Clint continued to watch them silently from his tree, the mother taking care of her child while still keeping a close eye out for danger. The buck was nowhere to be seen, he'd rarely been around the past few days, but Clint knew that was normal behavior for deer. The mother needed her space when it came to birthing.

It wasn't long before the mother finished her feeding and started standing up, seeming to tell the baby to stay put as she started walking off. However, the child didn't seem to listen and slowly started standing on its almost unnaturally wobbly legs.

Clint smiled. This one would be a rebellious child alright. He could tell.

As the child took a shaky step, the mother walked back over to them and gently pushed on its shoulder to tell it to stay hidden. It took a minute, but eventually to kid compiled and started to lay back down in the tall grass. When Ivy was sure they would stay put, she walked away again and out of sight.

The child was alone, and would continue to be alone for a majority of the next week or more. Clint learned from watching other deer that fawns were left alone often after being born, the mothers only returning to feed them. It was natural, being an overprotective parent trying to keep them hidden and away from danger that could sniff them out if they were with the child.

Clint watched the baby from his perch for who knows how long, seeing the child's head wander continuously. It was taking in the area around them, curious by what it saw. And even if they squirmed and didn't want to stay put, it seemed to comply for safety's sake.

Clint wanted to know what the gender of this fawn was, but it was difficult, nearly impossible to tell at this age and at this distance. It would probably be weeks, even months before he could tell if it was male or female officially. His kids would be disappointed, as they wanted to name it immediately, but the naming would sadly have to wait.

After another hour of watching the fawn and letting Clint's own mind wander, he started climbing down from his tree. Fixing his bow and quiver on his back, he silently walked back to the house.

It was business as usual on the Barton family farm. Lila and Cooper were finishing up their last bouts of homework in the living room, and Laura was helping Cooper with his math while Nathaniel was in her arms.

"How was school, kiddos?" Clint asked as he put his stuff away and went to make himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen.

He just heard Cooper groan. "Horrible. Why can't it just be summer already?"

Clint found the coffee grounds and filled the pot with water. "Well you're in the home stretch guys, you'll survive till summer. It's only a few more weeks."

"Ugh, it won't be a fun few weeks," Cooper mumbled as he tried to solve another problem on his own.

Clint made his coffee, waiting for the kids finished up their work before he could tell them the news. He knew if he told them now, they would be distracted for the rest of the night and never finish.

Clint sat over by the rest of the family with his coffee in hand. He took a sip as he watched Laura help Cooper with Algebra. Laura was always the one who helped them with homework in this household, Clint honestly wouldn't know where to start if that duty was placed on him. He had just barely taken the required classes that helped people function in a normal society. Constantly moving between foster homes as a kid and eventually settling with a traveling circus, there wasn't much opportunity for school.

Clint knew how to track, shoot arrows, and general survival skills, but he never knew much about what happened in the school department. He was lucky Shield still took him in for a job with his minimal math and english skills, but when they took that chance on him, they gave him an opportunity to learn what he had been deprived of as a kid.

But even still, Laura was always the smart one, Clint was always the protector. They made their family work with the skills they were each good at, but Clint knew Laura was the person holding this family together.

Clint continued drinking his coffee and when he was nearing the end of his cup, they finished their work. But before the kids departed in their own directions, Clint stopped them.

"Hey, don't you guys want to hear the news I have?" Clint smirked.

Their eyes grew wide, as if they knew what he as about to say. "What?!" Lila asked in anticipation.

Clint finished his coffee, putting the cup down on the coffee table. "The fawn was born today," he smiled.

The kids jumped up with excitement. However, Cooper's face quickly dimmed with a realization while Lila's lit up. "Ha!" Lila stated, pointing a finger at her brother. "I told you the baby would come this week! I knew it! You owe me five dollars!"

"You guys made an official bet?" Clint asked, not sure whether he should be proud or disappointed at their gambling.

"It wasn't an _official_ bet," Cooper denied, trying to get out of owing his sister money.

"It was too!" Lila argued and turned to her parents. "We made an agreement! If the deer came this week he would give me five bucks, but if it came after I would give him five."

"It's not set in stone with pen and paper though," Cooper defended.

Clint stepped in. "Sorry buddy, you made a verbal agreement. You have to stick with it. You have to give Lila the five dollars you owe her."

Cooper rolled his eyes with a huff, disappointed that he just lost his precious money. " _Fine_."

Lila grinned wider as she was now five bucks richer. "Is the fawn a boy or girl, dad?"

"Well, you aren't going to like my answer….." He stated. "I don't know."

"What? Why?" Cooper asked, confused that their all-knowing dad didn't know.

He shrugged. "It would be simpler if I was able to walk up to the deer and find out, but I can't just do that. So instead I have to find out from a distance through physical signs, but I can't do that until the baby grows a bit because right now it's impossible to tell the gender from a distance. The baby being so small and all." Clint replied, waiting for his kids' reactions.

"Well, how long will it be before you can tell?" Lila asked.

Clint thought for a moment. "Probably a few months at least."

Disappointment fell upon their faces as they didn't want to wait any longer to name the fawn. "That's such a long time…. Can't we just name it now?" Lila asked.

"Yeah, we can't just call it a fawn for months," Cooper agreed.

Finally, Laura piped in. "Well, maybe we don't have to call it a fawn for months. Remember Lila's birthday when we all were brainstorming names? There was one name that got tossed around a lot that we can use for both a girl or boy. We can call the fawn Ash, after the ask trees."

The kids' faces lit up once again, as they nodded in agreement. Cooper said, "Well, it makes deciding on the name easier."

"I like it," Lila beamed.

"Then it looks like Ash is the name of this new baby," Clint smiled. "Bucky, Ivy, and Ash. I think they make a good family."

"Yeah, but you have to tell us when you do find out the gender, dad." Cooper insisted. "And try to find out soon."

Clint nodded. "I'll do my best. But you know what you need to do right now?"

"What?" He asked, wondering what he meant.

Clint smirked. "Give your sister her five bucks."


	7. Storms Rage On

Steve gave Wanda a few extra days off of training. She couldn't blame him, Wanda knew she was throwing off the team exercises. She didn't mean to, but it had been particularly hard for her to concentrate this past week.

She'd been antsy all week, and when she got antsy, her powers did too. After the battle in Sokovia, her powers had gotten difficult for her to control. Whenever she was anxious, they tended to activate on accident.

Steve had noticed that they acted up a lot this week, so in response he gave her a few days off and ordered her to the Barton farm. He hoped the change of atmosphere, the peaceful atmosphere, would help her regain control.

Wanda, herself, hoped it would help too. She never liked it when the team failed on account of her.

She currently sat in the tire swing that hung from a large tree in the Barton's back yard. Arms resting on the top of the tire, she took in a deep breath of the country air while she looked out at the empty fields, back facing the house. She couldn't help but be reminded of Sokovia as she looked at the lush greenery of the distant forest.

The forests here reminded her of the ones back home, the only difference was that the land here was too flat to be her homeland. There, mountains scattered the area. The forests seeming to creep up the edges as far as they could reach before they got to the yearlong snow that settled at the highest peaks.

Wanda wasn't quite used to not seeing mountains in the distance, as this midwest land consisted of mostly plains and farmland. It was a change, but it was a change she was willing to get used to. Her homeland held some nasty memories now, anyway.

Wanda couldn't deny Steve's prescription was helping a little, but she couldn't help but still feel tense as she continued to look out at this landscape. Maybe it was too different of a sight, and that's why she was tense. Or maybe it was the house behind her that took the most to get used to.

Whatever it was, she wasn't exactly sure why she felt this stiffness in her muscles. But she had been feeling it all week.

Maybe it was training with the Avengers, such as large group of super people out to do good. Maybe it was because she wished she had done what they did sooner. Maybe it was because she didn't want to do it at all.

Maybe it was just living in America in general. She's only been in America a few months, and it was really hard to get used to. Especially living in the enormous New York City.

Maybe Steve was right, this change of atmosphere would help. The countryside was what she was used to, not huge cities, but small towns. Maybe the Barton's hometown would help her adjust better to these sudden changes.

"Am I interrupting anything?" A voice startled her out of her thoughts, nearly making her fall backwards out of the tire swing. She quickly caught herself and turned to face the voice, finding Clint chuckling as he witnessed her second long struggle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up."

"No, it's fine…." Wanda replied and fixed her position on the tire.

"Just thought I'd let you know the kids will be home soon. Laura went to pick them up from school, so enjoy your last bit of freedom before they start pestering you on summer vacation." Clint said and looked up at the sky to see dark clouds brewing. "And it looks like a storm's coming. Don't get caught in the rain."

Wanda gave Clint a small smile. "Okay. Thanks for the heads up," She said before turning her attention back to the landscape. She hadn't noticed the grey clouds in the distance until he pointed it out.

She lost herself in thought once again, thinking Clint had left. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her back gently push her, causing her and the tire to swing back and forth, that she realized he hadn't left.

After the one push, Clint walked around her without getting hit by the now moving swing. "Mind if I sit here?" He said as he stood in front of the tree trunk. He didn't wait for an answer though as he sat down anyway.

"Feel free," Wanda said as she leaned her chin against the top of the tire, hands gripping the hanging rope to make sure she didn't fall off the swing. "It's your yard."

They sat in silence, and after a minute Wanda briefly glanced at Clint. She saw him lazily rest his arm against his bent knee while he leaned his back against the tree.

They both faced forward, looking out at the distant forest and noticing the wind slowly picking up as it blew through the trees. The two got lost in their own thoughts as they listened to the leaves rustling above them. Neither minded the silence between them as Wanda gently rocked back and forth in the swing.

Wanda was so deep in her thoughts she barely registered when Clint spoke again. "Huh?" She said and turned to Clint, missing what he said.

"Are you a nature person?" Clint asked again without facing her.

"How do you mean?" Wanda wondered from her slightly swaying spot.

"I find nature, and just being outside in general, very calming. It gives me space to think. That's why I'm constantly out in the forest and visiting the deer," Clint said. "Are you the same?"

Wanda thought about it for a moment. She had never considered nature an escape for her, that was always Pietro's favorite escape. He loved the space to roam free, run free. He was always a runner. Wanda's escape was simply being with her brother on his escapes.

She pushed that thought quickly out of her mind. "I guess in a way," she simply answered before realizing what Clint was indirectly asking. "Are you trying to ask if being out here is helping me with my power control problem?"

Clint gave a slight smirk as he glanced at her. "Am I that obvious or are you just using your telepathy?"

Wanda smiled at his joke. "Don't worry, I try to avoid using telepathy. It gives me headaches. You're just bad at beating around the bush."

"Good to know I need to work on it," He said. "But now that my cover is spilled, is being here helping?"

She lifted one hand off of the rope and held it in front of her, creating a small ball of energy in her palm. "A bit. There's just a lot going on in my life right now and I think this week it just hit me as to how much." She closed her palm, causing the energy to dissipate with a sigh.

"Well, there's no denying that you've been through a lot these past few months," Clint said as they both noticed rain begin to drizzle down to earth, causing a light pattering on the leaves of the tree that was protecting them from getting wet.

It took a minute before he continued. "You know how Steve likes his reports. We just wanted to know if you were doing okay at handling everything."

She was silent as she heard the falling of rain pick up speed. "I'm handling it," Wanda simply said, trying to sound convincing. But even she knew it was a weak response, so instead, she tried changing the subject. "You two worry too much. Do you know that?"

"You're part of our team, of course we're going to worry too much about our friends," Clint smiled as he turned to face her. But as soon as they locked eye contact, his face slipped back into a serious tone. "You don't need to handle it alone though. Just…. Know that. If you ever need help, we're here."

Wanda simply nodded and turned her attention away from Clint's eye contact, not sure how she should reply. She had kept a majority of her problems to herself these past few months.

Maybe that's what was making her tense. She hadn't talked to anyone about anything because Pietro was always her go-to problem solver, she would always talk to him. Now that he was…. She hadn't opened up to anyone.

Maybe she needed to. Maybe just a little. Maybe it would help.

They continued to sit in their comfortable positions, looking out at the farmland while they noticed the rain fall harder with each passing minute. They only managed to stay dry under the canopy of the tree, only the occasional drop falling through the thick cover of leaves and onto their faces.

The sound of water hitting the earth was broken by the low rumble of thunder in the distance, and that was when Clint was about to suggest they head into the house. However, he was interrupted before he could even start.

"Pietro would have liked it here," Wanda said, barely above a whisper. "That brat would have loved the space. He'd run wild….."

Instead of suggesting his original idea, Clint got more comfortable against the tree. He continued to keep his eyes straight ahead at the mud puddles forming in the distant grass. He had a feeling Wanda didn't want to create eye contact, so he avoided doing so.

"Something tells me you're right," Clint simply said before keeping the silence between them.

This was the first time Wanda had said her brother's name ever since he died, and Clint could tell he wouldn't get any more out of her. Not today.

They would start slow, but at least she was willing to start talking about Pietro. It wasn't hard for anyone to notice keeping everything bundled up was hurting her more than helping, but at least Clint knew she was willing to accept some help.

Thunder continued to roll in with the storm, and Wanda couldn't help but smile under her breath as she let her mind wander to thinking about her brother. It was the first time in weeks she was willing to let herself think about him for more than a few seconds.

Looking down at her swinging feet, she wiped away the rain that rolled down her cheek as the storm raged on. Inside, and out.

* * *

 **This is the point where I will start to explore more of the relationships within this story.**

 **There wasn't much mention of the deer in this chapter, and some chapters will be like that, but the deer will still play a big role overall. I still have some major events planned for them, so don't worry, they aren't going anywhere;)**

 **That being said, I also feel that relationships have a huge impact on what I have planned moving forward, especially when I get into the timeline of Civil War. Events that unfold there will have a huge impact on all of Clint's relationships, and** **the Barton's relationship with the deer will even come into play in some very special and important ways. So that means I'm going to take time to explore those relationships more in this story.**

 **That's just an update of what I have planned as things will continue to get more exciting, more adorable, more emotional, and overall more sweet. I hope you guys will continue this adventure with me, and thank you to those who comment and enjoy!:)**


	8. The Magic of Babysitting

"Thank you for doing this, Wanda." Laura said as she fixed the shawl around her shoulders. She and Clint were dressed formally, but not overly formal as they decided to go out on a casual date night.

Wanda smiled with her arms close to her chest. "It's no problem. You guys haven't had a night to yourselves in months, you deserve a break."

"If you need anything, or even if the kids are too overwhelming, call us," Clint worried. He trusted Wanda with the kids, he knew that she could handle them, but he still worried if being alone with them would overwhelm her. She had gotten along well with the kids, but there were always moments where Clint noticed she was uncomfortable around them.

"We'll be fine," she gave a reassuring smile even though she was also nervous. She's never taken care of two kids and a baby alone, and she was afraid of something going wrong. But she tried not to dwell in worry. Instead, she took a deep breath as the two Bartons opened the door, letting in a summer night's breeze.

"We'll just be in town for a few hours, make sure the kids are in bed by the time we get back." Laura smiled as they walked onto the porch. She hoped to break some of the tension Wanda had by stating the technicals.

"Will do. Now go have some fun." Wanda insisted as she waved them off.

Before they walked off the porch, Clint shouted behind him. "Don't get too crazy, Kiddos!" He said to the two who pressed their faces against the window, anticipating their parent's leave as they waved them off.

Wanda felt the humidity on her skin for a couple more moments before finally closing the door. She took in a shaky breath. "It'll be fine…." She muttered to herself, trying to calm her nerves.

After she composed herself, she turned to the kids who were looking out the window. When the truck pulled out of their long driveway, they went over to Wanda with excitement.

"Can you please show us your powers, Wanda!?" Cooper asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yeah!" Lila jumped. "Please, please, _please_?"

"Woah, hold your horses guys. You know the rules, no powers in the house." Wanda said as she remembered the one rule that Clint asked her to follow while she visited.

When she started to lose control of her powers after the events of Sokovia, due to her being constantly anxious, he offered that not using her powers might help. Clint said that if she didn't have to worry about superpowers or attacks, it would help her let her guard down when she was here. He believed that could help her relieve some of her anxiety about danger being around every corner.

She gave that proposal a try, and after a couple visits and making a conscious effort to avoid using her powers, she eventually got used to not using them when she was on the farm. She was able to relax, and it overall helped her ability to control them when she was training.

Wanda turned back to the kids, who hadn't really seen her use her powers except those first few trips where she used them on accident. They were fascinated by what she could do but they knew they couldn't see her use them when Clint and Laura were home.

"Please? Just a little bit," Lila insisted with puppy eyes.

Wanda rubbed her arm. She didn't want to break the house rule...

"We won't tell mom and dad, we promise." Cooper said to try and sway her.

"Yeah, we promise!" Lila agreed.

Wanda shook her head, a slight smile on her face. "You guys will just keep bugging me the whole night, won't you? Fine, I'll use my powers, but only a little bit!" She said, pointing an accusing finger at them while they nodded in excited agreement.

She focused. Within seconds, she was levitating herself with red wisps coming out of her hands. The kids looked up at her in awe as an audible gasp escaped their lips. Seconds later, Wanda gently levitated herself back to solid ground and mentally laughed at their childlike wonder.

"Can you levitate me!?" Cooper asked, excited.

"Oh no. No, no, no," She said. "Levitating you guys is a no-can-do. Your parents won't approve of that at all."

"Come on, just a little….." He insisted with a smirk.

"Sorry kids, but that's all the magic for tonight."

They groaned. The kids still wanted to see what else she could do, but they grumpily compiled. Instead, they asked her all about her powers as they all played The Game of Life.

Wanda was still a bit uncomfortable around Lila and Cooper alone, despite having known them for months pretty closely. They all sat cross legged on the floor around the coffee table and she did her best to have fun as opposed to being stressed about something maybe happening.

It took some time, but as the night wore on she eventually started to partake in the kids messing around. Whenever they laughed, the tension in her lessened and even for a while, Wanda forgot about her worries of being home alone with the kids and just enjoyed being with them.

As Lila's car landed on the space that read, "You had a baby! Collect a Life Tile," she laughed. "Now I'm like the deer family!" She said as she put another person into her tiny car, now making three in her family.

"Oh, yeah," Wanda said as they brought up the deer. "I forgot that they had a baby. You guys named it Ash, right?"

"Yeah," Lila replied as she looked up from the board. "They're adorable, Wanda. Dad took us out to see Ash for the first time this week, you should really go." She urged.

"Well, maybe…." she replied as it was her turn to spin the wheel.

"Just ask him, I'm sure he'll be willing to take you," Cooper reassured. "You really need to experience them for yourself."

"I think you'll like it," Lila added before a smirk fell upon her face. "We'll keep our promise about you using your powers if you promise to ask dad to take you."

Wanda playfully stared down the kids with their devious grins. As she moved her car a few spaces ahead, she said, "Oh, you're blackmailing me now? Okay, _fine_. I promise to talk to him about it. Are we good now? Not going to spill any secrets that'll get us all into trouble?"

The two's devious looks dissipated into normal smiles as Cooper replied, "We're good now."

As the night dragged on and they finished their game, it was nearing Cooper and Lila's bedtime. Wanda allowed the kids to watch one last episode of their favorite show as they laid on their stomachs in front of the television. Wanda was sitting down on the couch and watched it with them until she heard Nathaniel crying in the nursery.

Wanda jogged up to the nursery to see what was wrong, hoping it was nothing as the worry from earlier started flaring up again. Wrapped in the blankets of his crib, she gently picked him up before realizing what was wrong. He needed a diaper change.

She sighed, partly in relief as she placed Nate on the changing station and started changing him.

Laura had taught her a lot about how to care for Nathaniel in the time she's been here. She learned how to hold him, change him, feed him, bathe him, everything. Wanda didn't mind Laura teaching her all this, it helped keep her mind off of everything that had happened these past few months. At least taking care of this small rascal kept her mind off it all.

She let out a breath as she finished up buttoning the baby's onesie. Nathaniel smiled and aimlessly reached up at her, his tiny hands wanting to grab onto something. Wanda smiled as she picked up the happy child, carefully holding him in her arms as she sat down in the nursery rocking chair. She slowly rocked back and forth, the motion calming both her nerves and the child in her arms, who was grabbing onto her long hair with a strong grip.

"Oh, no... Nathaniel…." Wanda complained as the child started putting the ends on her hair in his mouth. "Don't eat that, it's not food." She said as she tried to wrangle the hair out of his mouth and hands.

After the small struggle, she finally won the battle as she pulled her now slobbery hair away from the laughing child. Tucking it behind her, she made sure it didn't fall past her face again.

"Now look what you did, I have to wash my hair again. And I just washed it this morning," Wanda smirked as the child's grin only grew with his laughter. But Nate continued to grab up at her, wanting something to hold onto. Wanda gave him her finger instead of her hair, and he gladly took it. Holding on tightly as he started to relax more into her arms.

Within a couple of minutes, the baby's grip started to loosen as he closed his eyes. Starting to fall asleep by the calming rocking motion and Wanda's warm embrace.

A slight frown fell upon Wanda's face as she looked down at Nathaniel. He was so peaceful in her arms, easily trusting her, not knowing what she was capable of or what the world was capable of.

Clint…. he could go out on a mission and never come back. Then Nate would never get the chance to really know his father. Any number of horrible things could happen and this innocent child would never be aware of them.

Wanda couldn't understand how anyone could do what Clint did. Risk having a family and risk losing them. Or having them lose him. How could _she_ do that? It was too great of a risk.

Wanda had kept this a secret from the team, but she had been thinking about this a lot these past few weeks. She wasn't sure if she could be an _Avenger_. After losing Pietro…. She didn't want to lose anyone else she cared about in such a horrible way. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be part of a family that constantly risked their lives and could leave her just like Pietro did.

She barely even noticed the tears that started to well up in her eyes until she heard a voice in the doorway.

"Is everything okay, Wanda?" Lila asked with a worried Cooper beside her.

Wanda blinked a couple times, trying to prevent tears from actually falling. She put on a fake smile, "Yeah, I'm good. Did your show end?" She asked in hopes of changing the subject.

The two slowly nodded, not convinced that she was okay and walked into the room. Wanda stood up from the chair, placing the sleeping Nathaniel in his crib as the kids walked up beside her to watch over their baby brother. Nate still had his fingers gripped around her own index finger, and instead of prying them apart, she let her hand rest over the edge of the crib.

Even in his unconscious state, Nate still had a tight hold of Wanda. It reminded her of what Pietro did ever since they were trapped in their apartment with that shell only a few feet away from them. For years after that day, no matter what orphanage they were in or what temporary home, they had to sleep right next to each other. Tightly holding each other's hands.

It was the only way they could both fall asleep after that experience, knowing that they were safe in each other's arms.

She hadn't thought about that in years, how they traveled from place to place unwillingly, but were still by each other's sides no matter what. They were always inseparable.

She fought back tears as hard as she could, determined not to let the kids see her cry. She felt their concerned eyes on her, so she continued to avoid their eye contact. But avoiding eye contact meant she could only stare down at the child holding her finger, as that was the only way her hair could fall past her face and protect her from their stares.

She watched Nathaniel's small chest rise and fall in sleep. Nathaniel _Pietro_ Barton's tiny form sleeping as soundly as can be.

It was a good name, a fitting name, as he slept as peacefully as her own brother often did in her warmth. Even if every time she looked at this baby and was reminded of her brother, it was still a good name.

She couldn't hold it back any longer as tears started falling from her eyes. She didn't even bother trying to stop them. At this point she didn't care if the two kids next to her saw, she just really missed Pietro. She really missed her family.

Lila and Cooper noticed her crying. Looking at each other silently, they pulled Wanda into a hug. She didn't protest, or push them away like she would have months ago. Instead, she gently unwrapped the baby's fingers from around hers and sat on the floor, pulling the two kids into a proper hug.

The three kids sat there silently, embracing each other tightly while Cooper and Lila allowed Wanda to cry over their shoulders as they hugged each side of her.

It was a few minutes before they pulled away, making sure Wanda wasn't hysterically crying any more. Cooper was the one who first spoke. "You miss him?"

Wanda wiped her eyes on her sleeves as she sniffled, simply nodding. Understanding, all of them looked down at their own laps.

"We can be your siblings, Wanda." Lila said quietly.

Wanda looked up at the two, who were still looking down. "We know we can't replace your brother," Cooper added as he finally looked at her, "But you are like a sister to us, and maybe if we were your siblings too…"

"It'll help you feel better. Having a family again." Lila finished, also looking up at her.

The three of them all shared glances for a long moment. Lila and Cooper worried about how Wanda would reply, and Wanda wondered how she would even answer. That moment seemed to drag out forever until a smile naturally inched its way onto Wanda's face. Tears threatening to fall again.

She took in a shaky breath, "I would love to be your sister." She simply said as she pulled the grinning children into another hug.

As the three held each other, Lila bounced, "Maybe mom and dad can adopt you officially one day, then we'll really be sisters!" She was excited by the thought of having an official older sister.

Wanda's lips curled upwards at the thought. These past few months have been the hardest she'd ever experienced, but the Barton's have been there for her. The Avengers were there for her too, but there was something about the Barton's that felt... Different. Maybe it was because they weren't a mess of unbelievable superheroes, but just a normal family with a father who had an unbelievable job. There was just something about them being a pretty well put together family, one that loved each other and were always accepting of new additions that made it feel...

Like a home.

Wanda couldn't help but mumble a reply to Lila. "I don't think you need official papers to be a family..."

The three of them smiled and continued to sit in each other's embrace. For the first time in what felt like years, Wanda finally felt like she had a family again. But with the welcomed feeling of having a family came the unwelcome feeling of worry.

What if they lost her? Just when she was starting to mend her own ripped heart, she could rip apart theirs. Being an Avenger came at such a great risk to the people she cared about. Did she really want to take that risk?

She bit her lip, but temporarily pushed the thought out of her mind. That was tomorrow's problem. Tonight, she was just going to enjoy the warm embrace of her siblings.

The three of them weren't aware that Clint and Laura had come home early and had been standing outside of the nursery for the past few minutes, witnessing the interaction unfold. Laura wasn't mad that the kids weren't in bed as she simply shared a glance with her husband.

They silently walked away, leaving the kids alone to bond. The two walked back onto the porch and sat next to each other on the porch swing. Holding hands, Laura let her head rest on Clint's shoulder while he let his own fall into place against hers.

Nobody needed to say another word that night. They could all feel the love radiating off of their country home from their growing family.


	9. Wanda's Forest Talk

"Crap," Clint groaned as oil spilled out of the crevices of the tractor's engine. With a rag in hand, he wiped away the excess oil so he could see what he was doing. "Go a little easy on the oil next time, Clint…." He mumbled to himself as he contorted his head to see inside the tractor with a grunt.

As he tried to figure out what was wrong with the engine this time, he didn't notice someone walking into the barn from his awkward angle.

"You're still at it with that thing?" Wanda laughed as she walked up to Clint, realizing he was still trying to fix the tractor. He'd been at it all day so far.

"Yeah, I'm still at it." Clint smiled as he briefly glanced up at Wanda before struggling to change the oil properly this time. After a minute of his struggle, Clint continued. "So what brings you to my workshop, Wanda?"

She was a bit hesitant as she answered, "Well, the kids were making a big fuss over the deer. They're insisting that I go see them and…."

"And you wanted to see if you could tag along with me," Clint finished as he completed what he was doing. Standing up from his crouched position, he finally faced her accordingly.

"Only if it's not too much trouble," Wanda insisted. She knew the forest was Clint's go-to spot for space and didn't want to interrupt him while he was there. "I don't want to intrude on your personal time or anything."

Clint rubbed his hands on a cloth, hoping to get some of the oil off to little avail. "It's no trouble at all, Wanda. I don't mind having some company," He said with a reassuring smile to make sure she knew it really was okay if she came.

Wanda smiled. "Thanks, Clint."

He simply nodded. "I'll be going out later today. After I check a few more things on this baby," He said and rested a hand on the side of his tractor. "I'll let you know when."

"Sounds good. Hopefully you won't get her to work again and you'll just buy another one." She laughed.

"I'll never give up on my child," Clint smirked while he patted the side of the machine as if he was patting someone on the back.

Wanda simply shook her head at the sight and started walking out of the barn. Before Clint went back to checking his tractor, he realized something and shouted back at the teen. "Hey! Laura told you to say that, didn't she?"

Wanda's only response was the smirk she had on her face before leaving. Clint huffed out a laugh as he went back to work.

A couple of hours, and a number of oil spills later, Clint finally got the tractor to start up again. He felt a sense of accomplishment as this meant he could finally work in the fields again.

…. Starting tomorrow. Today, he wanted to take Wanda out to see the deer family.

Clint walked back into the house, his skin and clothing a mess as Laura pointed out. So he took a shower and changed into a fresh pair of jeans and t-shirt, putting a thin blue flannel over it.

When he went downstairs, he found Laura on the front porch with Lila. The small girl was sitting on the porch floor, holding Nathaniel in her arms while Laura was on the swing not far away. The baby laughed as Lila made faces at him, and she soon made herself laugh in the process.

Clint sat down next to Laura. "Hey honey."

"Hey," she simply smiled as they shared a brief kiss. "Did you give up on the tractor yet?"

"Nope, I fixed it yet again." He replied with pride. "I told you she still has a couple years left in her."

Laura rolled her eyes, "But it's such a hassle to deal with every year. Are you sure you don't want to just get another one?"

"Until that thing gets destroyed in an alien invasion, it's sticking around." Clint insisted, ending the debate. He was not going to give up on the old machine when it had come this far.

The two of them sat there for a few minutes in silence as they observed Lila and Nathaniel together. It was always super sweet seeing the two interact. Lila always helped Laura care for Nate and they could tell she was already turning into a protective older sister. Eventually though, Clint broke the silence and asked, "So where's Wanda? She's usually hanging out with Lila."

"She should be in the guest room right now. I think she needed some time to herself," Laura replied before her face dimmed with worry. "Something is bothering her, Clint. She was acting nervous around the kids again today."

Clint frowned at that. Over the past few months of Wanda visiting, she had recently felt comfortable enough to open up to Clint and Laura about Pietro and what was on her mind. But it always made them worry when she held back. "Well, I was going to take her out to see the deer family. I'll see if I can figure out what's wrong."

Laura smiled, comforted by the fact that her husband would at least try to help ease the weight of whatever was bothering her. "When were you planning to take her out?"

"In a short bit, but I wanted to check in with you first, make sure it was okay."

"Of course. You do realize you don't always have to be worrying about us and checking in," Laura smirked.

"Does that stop _you_ from worrying and checking in?" Clint simply answered back with a grin as they both knew they would never stop worrying about anything when it came to family.

* * *

"Why do you need that?" Wanda asked, confused on why Clint was taking his bow off of the rack.

Clint shrugged, not really sure if he had an answer. They were just going to visit the deer, afterall. "I just feel more comfortable if I have it with me out there."

She nodded in understanding before the two started their trek to the forest. It was a silent hike, but it was the opposite of a comfortable silence. Clint could tell there was a tension in the air from whatever was on the teen's mind.

Laura was right, as always. Something was bothering Wanda.

As Clint was about to ask what was wrong, Wanda spoke up. "Clint... is it okay if I ask you something?"

Clint looked at her as they continued forward. "What do you want to know?"

She paused, suddenly having second thoughts about saying anything. She regretted bring up conversation, so instead she simply said, "Forget it, never mind."

Clint couldn't help but notice her hesitance about asking what was on her mind, but he knew her tension would only continue if she didn't at least try to talk about it. "It's okay to ask me anything, Wanda. There's no harm in it. What did you want to know?"

Wanda frowned, wishing she could hold her curiosity back. Unfortunately, she couldn't and after another minute of silent walking she finally asked, "How can you stand to do this? Being an Avenger, when you have a family. Aren't you afraid that…. They might lose you?" She said the last part of the sentence softly and with a hint of pain in her voice.

Clint stopped walking, taking in a deep breath of fresh air as he looked out through the dense forest. After a moment, he nodded. "That worry never leaves me. I don't ever want my family and friends to go through that."

Clint was silent as he continued to look out at the calming scenery around him. "But I also know that I have a responsibility to more than just my family."

There was a hesitant pause before Wanda asked, "But doesn't responsibility to stay safe for your family take priority?"

"It does." Clint simply replied.

Wanda furrowed her brows in confusion. "I don't understand then. How can you do that _and_ be in a field where you could potentially die at any moment."

Clint shrugged as he spoke, almost like he had an answer prepared. He had given this topic deep thought multiple times, it wasn't something that could easily be pushed aside since it affected more than just himself. "Well, you can die at any moment in a normal job. But the way I see it is that I have the capability to help more than just my family. I'm a good shot, and if I can help prevent things like aliens invading New York or stopping an AI gone haywire, then I'm going to do it." Clint smiled as he looked at Wanda fully for the first time in this conversation. "I can kill two birds with one stone with this job. I can save other families from being torn apart and I can help make the world a safer place for my own family. But in the end, everything I do with this job, I do it to help keep my family safe."

Wanda nodded in understanding but continued speaking her mind. "But it's at such a great risk…."

"Yeah, it is a risk, but it's a risk that my whole family is willing to take with me. If I ever don't come back from a mission, they know that I did it for them, and they know that I love them..." Clint drifted at the end of that sentence as the heartbreaking thought came across his mind once again. It was a thought he never liked to think about.

He quickly composed himself to continue, "But I'll be trying my darnedest to come back to them each time."

A silence fell upon them as they, once again, started walking in the direction of the den. After a while, Clint broke the silence. "Was that all you wanted to talk about, Wanda? Or was there something else on your mind?"

There was a long silence as Clint occasionally looked over to see Wanda's face. She bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say.

"It's just…." She started but didn't manage to finish.

Clint stopped again and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to feel pressured to talk about what's on your mind kid, but know that I'm just here to help. And I'm always here to help, so just speak whenever you're ready. It doesn't have to be now."

She gave a nod and avoided his gaze. Clint got the hint that she wasn't quite ready to open up yet, so he changed the subject with a comforting smile. "Come on, we're nearing the deer den."

She gave him a silent thanks and it wasn't long until they reached their destination. Luckily, the deer were currently inside, the whole family. The newborn fawn was still rather fragile as it cuddled with its mother for warmth. The buck was stationed in front of them, looking out at the dense forest to search for any potential predators. Including the two humans nearby.

Since the buck was in front, it was hard to see all three of them at certain angles. Clint could tell that Wanda was struggling to see them from her spot so he moved over.

"Here," he whispered as he pointed to the den, "you can see them better from this spot."

Wanda scooted over in her crouched position and Clint smiled when he saw her face light up at the sight of the family. For some reason, these deer seemed to put a smile on everyone's face, and it was nice to see.

After a few minutes of watching them, Wanda whispered, "Now I see what all the fuss is about with these deer. It's very calming here, and very sweet. I see why you come out so often."

"Yeah, it's a miracle destressor." Clint said as another thought inched its way to the front of his mind. "And I guess it kind of reminds me of my own family too."

They sat there in silence for a while, a safe distance away from the deer and hidden behind bushes. Ivy nuzzled Ash as the fawn laid in front of her. The defiant child tried to move it's head away from the almost embarrassing affection, but didn't work as the mother simply sat closer to her baby. Protecting him, just in case danger came past the father sentry. Eventually, Ash accepted it's fate of not escaping Ivy, so it laid its head down on the forest floor close to her.

"About earlier….." Wanda whispered, not breaking eye contact as the two watched the deer, "About what's on my mind…. I just…. I don't know if I could do what you do."

Clint briefly glanced at her and saw she avoided eye contact again. He looked back at the deer and sat down properly instead of staying in his uncomfortable squat. "How do you mean?" He asked as he leaned against a tree trunk.

"You know, Avenge. After Pietro…." She drifted, now looking down at her fidgeting hands. "After actually losing someone to this new job, it…. I just don't know how you can do it, and I don't know if I can. I don't want others I care about to lose me like I lost him. And I don't want to lose them either."

Clint understood where she was coming from, he couldn't even imagine the pain being an Avenger brings her just from the memory of what happened to Pietro alone. "You do realize that being an Avenger isn't a permanent position? You can leave this business at any time. But do you know what?"

"What?" Wanda asked as she now kneeled, still fiddling with her hands.

"Either way, you've made a family through this job. You're a part of our family now, and we will always be there for you whether you decide to take the same risks as us or not."

A sad smile grew on Wanda's face at the mention of all the Bartons' and Avengers accepting her as family. But even so, they were still in a risky business where she could lose them at any time.

"You still have time to decide what you want to do, though," Clint said. "You're only seventeen, and we won't be sending you on missions until you're at least a year older. But _you_ will ultimately decide if you're ready or not. No one is rushing you, but I know that if you do decide to take the risks, you will be strong enough for them."

Wanda finally looked up at Clint for what seemed to be the first time all day they held proper eye contact. Now that he saw her, he could tell she had been holding back tears throughout this whole conversation, and even now refused to let them fall. She let out a laugh before looking back down. "You always seem to know what I need to hear, Clint. Thank you."

Clint smiled a silent ' _you're welcome,'_ before pulling her into a hug that she greatly accepted. After the hug, they looked back at the deer family who still seemed relatively unbothered by their presence nearby.

"Oh!" Clint said as he pulled out his phone.

"What?" Wanda asked, very confused by the sudden change in conversation.

He opened the camera and focused it on the deer. "I promised Laura I would take some pictures for her, but I always forget when I come out here." He said as he took a few snapshots before looking in his gallery to see if he caught a few good ones.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the best photographer.

Wanda looked over at his phone to see the blurry photos. "Boy, you really are an old man if you don't know how to work a phone camera properly." She laughed.

"Oh, well please, enlighten me in the way of you millenials." Clint said sarcastically as he handed her his phone.

"It's simple, really." She said as she zoomed in a little on the deer family, making sure to get all of them in the frame. "You just have to wait two seconds for it to focus. It's not _that_ difficult."

As Clint looked over her shoulder to observe what she was doing, he saw her flip the camera so the two of them were now in frame. "Smile!" She said as she tricked him into taking a photo of themselves.

"Now that, old man, is called a selfie." She said as she looked through the gallery. "I don't know if you've heard of it, but it's something 'us millenials' do." She mocked.

"Haha," Clint said sarcastically. "I'm not that old."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive," he simply answered as he pulled her into a quick side hug.

They smiled. Clint feeling as if Wanda was his own daughter and Wanda beginning to feel as if Clint were her own father.

... But she didn't feel that way completely just yet. It would still take Wanda some getting used to, being part of a family again, but at least now she was willing to get used to it.

They continued to watch the deer for what felt like hours before eventually heading back home. The previous tension in the air gone, some of the weight finally lifted from Wanda's shoulders, and the two's relationship growing stronger with each day passing day.


	10. Everyday's Worry

Clint muttered under his breath as he pressed the 'print' button on his laptop. Thankfully, the printer worked this time as only seconds later it started working its magic.

When the photo came out of the machine, Clint hauled himself and the swivel chair he sat in across the room he called his, 'home office'. It was the room he always used for after-mission paperwork.

Picking up the photo, he put it in a frame he bought earlier that week. He couldn't help but smile as he held the framed memory in his hands.

As Clint towed himself back in the direction of the desk he just came from, he didn't put the picture down right away as he simply enjoyed looking at it up close. After admiring it for another few minutes in the comfort of his chair, he stood the frame up on his desk. He couldn't help but notice that the selfie Wanda took of them in the forest fit right at home surrounded by the pictures of his family.

While he continued looking at the photo that was now a part of the others, his cell phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he sighed as he instantly knew what was about to come. "Yes?" He answered.

"Barton," Nick Fury said on the other end. "I need you to come in."

' _Of course,'_ Clint mentally sighed at his previous hypothesis being right. "You do realize you gave me a break, right?" Clint said as he pushed himself away from the wooden desk and spun a bit in his swivel chair.

Fury replied, annoyance in his voice. "And I can shorten it whenever I like."

Clint sighed. "Can't you get Natasha on this one? Or anyone else in that faculty of yours?"

"I need your specific skill sets," Fury simply stated. "You're the best I've got and it's a time sensitive mission. So I need you to come in within the next 2 hours to brief you."

Clint transferred the phone in his hands, letting it rest against his opposite ear. "How long will this 'time sensitive' mission take?" He said as he rubbed his forehead.

"No more than two days. A quick and easy in and out."

Clint groaned internally, but didn't let Fury hear it. "Yeah, okay. I assume you already sent a ride to get me?"

"See you in two." Fury said, as if it were a proper answer to his question, before hanging up.

Clint put his phone down on his lap and ran a hand through his hair. Leaning against the office chair, he glanced at the new photo one last time. With a slight smile on his face, he got up to find Laura.

He found her feeding baby Nathaniel in their room. Sitting on the bed next to her, Clint watched his son for a moment before Laura sensed something was off with her husband.

"What is it?" She asked as she looked up from the child drinking the bottled milk in her hands.

"Fury called me in for a mission," Clint simply said.

Laura sighed, disappointment clear in her voice. "We all knew that would happen eventually."

"Yeah…." Clint drifted as he played with his son a bit. He waved his finger in front of the child and in turn, Nate did his best to grab it while continuing to drink the milk. Eventually, he succeeding in grabbing it. Clint couldn't help but grin at the child's pride in being successful. "It should be a fast mission, only a few days. I'll be back in no time.

"When are you leaving?" She asked as she took the now empty bottle out of Nate's mouth and bounced him lightly against her towel-covered shoulder.

"Whenever my ride gets here. Within the hour."

"You better pack up then," She forced a smile before kissing her husband. "And stay safe."

Clint gently rubbed her back for a minute as Nate continued to squirm in her grip. "Yes ma'am."

Clint stayed with her to help burp the baby before going to find his gear and the kids. He grabbed his long equipment bag from the closet before leaving the room and going downstairs to get his quiver and trusty bow.

As he swung his quiver and bow over his shoulder, he noticed the kids outside playing on the swing set. He was about to go talk to them when he heard the familiar rumble of a helicopter.

"That was fast…." Clint mumbled as he walked onto the porch, seeing the helicopter land in the distance in a slew of dust from the dirt driveway it landed on.

Lila and Cooper jumped off their swings and ran up to their father. "Another mission, daddy?" Lila asked.

Clint could tell she was a bit bummed, so he dropped his bag to pick her up. "Yeah, I'm sorry honey. But I'll be back in no time." He said with a grin and ruffled Cooper's hair. "Be good to mom while I'm gone."

"We will," they replied in unison. He gave Lila a quick kiss on her forehead before setting her down again.

Clint picked up his bag before starting off toward the copter. He put on dark sunglasses as he neared it, keeping out the wind and dust from his eyes. Turning back one last time, he waved to his family. The kids waved back, but they couldn't hold off from nervously giving each other side glances. They simply hoped their father came home soon. And safe.

From the upstairs window, Clint noticed Laura watching him leave as she held Nathaniel. She gave him a worried wave and Clint nodded an acknowledgement before climbing into the vehicle, taking off seconds later. She held Nathaniel close in hopes of easing her worry while the innocent child smiled in her arms.

No matter how many times Clint went out on missions, Laura couldn't help but have the worst case scenarios cross her mind. She couldn't stop herself from fearing the danger that came with his job.

It was another mission. And with another mission, came another chance for her husband to potentially never make it back home.


	11. Tony Appears

Clint just finished drying the dishes when he heard the obnoxious rumble of a car speeding down their long driveway. Putting the last plate in the cabinet and drying his hands with the towel, he walked over to the living room window to see if the sound was caused by the obnoxious person he thought it was.

It was.

Placing the damp towel on a chair to dry, he walked outside to greet the man in the bright red sports car. As Tony turned off the ignition, shades over his eyes, he turned to Clint who was now standing next to the machine.

"Long time no see, Katniss." Tony smirked.

"Same back at you, Richy Rich." Clint smiled. "Thanks for coming."

Tony glanced at Clint through his red tinted shades, as if looking him over for any problems. He took them off as he reached over to grab a small bag that was in the passenger seat. "Yeah, tell me again why you couldn't just swing by the tower?" He asked while getting out of his car.

Clint shrugged at his friend. "I promised the kids I'd take them out to the lake tomorrow."

"Hmm, right. Well, I could use a break from Pepper anyways. She's keeping me a bit _too_ busy," he replied. Pepper was basically the head of Stark Industries now, always bossing him around. Sometimes Tony wondered how those turn of events happened, from him being in charge and her following his orders, to him complying to her requests.

"You'll get used to it," Clint laughed. He knew from experience since he had to get used to Laura running everything while he followed her orders. She was the head of the house, she kept everyone together. Especially when he was away.

"Great advice," He said sarcastically as he wasn't quiet sure if he wanted to be the one following all the orders instead of leading. "But either way, let's get down to business," Tony said as he put a hand on Clint's shoulder while they walked towards the house. "Tell me, what ails you?"

"It sounds like you're treating me like your tech." Clint said, not necessarily liking the way it sounded to be treated as an object he was working on.

"Well my tech is currently in you so….."

"Yeah yeah." Clint replied as they walked into his house. He was right, but he couldn't help but hate talking about it. He avoided the topic as much as possible and hated it when he had to bring it up, such as now. "My left hearing aid isn't working. The right seems fine, but I'm pretty sure the other is busted." He simply explained as they walked into the kitchen.

Tony pulled out a chair and placed his bag on the table. "Well, let's have a look then." He patted the frame of the chair before saying, "Step into my parlor."

Clint flipped the chair around so he could sit in it backwards, letting his elbows rest on the back frame. He preferred to carefully watch what Tony was doing instead of being blind with his back towards him. He didn't want more of his senses out of commission.

Tony took out a pair of seemingly high tech tweezers from his bag and walked up to Clint's bad ear. "Woah," He replied, finally seeing the bruise on the side of his head. "Did your wife punch you in the ear or something?"

"I got punched in the ear, but not by Laura." He said as Tony put the tweezers in his slightly swollen ear and tried to carefully pull out the small device planted inside. "I was on a mission for Fury."

Clint slightly winced as he took out the device, since the metal rubbed against his injury. But he soon placed the aid on the table, he assessed what damage had been done to his precious technology. "I thought you're supposed to be on a break from missions to have some family time."

"Yeah, that's Fury for you." Clint rolled his eyes. "He can't resist sending me out at least once while on break."

"Uh huh…." Tony drifted as he was clearly not paying much attention to Clint's words anymore. He instead focused on the tech in front of him.

Tony examined the piece in silence for a few minutes before saying, "Yeah, that idiot who punched you damaged it pretty well, but it's fixable. I'll be finished in no time." Tony took a seat at the table and took out some glasses, among other tools.

"What's with the glasses?" Clint raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen Tony wear glasses before unless they were safety googles in his lab or shades. Clint couldn't help but wonder if his friend was getting old and his vision was going with it.

"They're so I can see this tiny thing," He said like it was obvious before looking up with a smirk. "I call them 'Magnifying Glasses.'"

Clint laughed at his pun. "Of course they are." At least he knew Tony wasn't getting too old, he still had the same sense of humor even with those disguised, high-tech glasses.

Clint observed Tony work in silence for a minute before he felt a vibration in his back pocket. He took out his phone, finding a text from Wanda. She was figuring out her plan to visit next weekend. She explained she was a bit swamped with training to come by this week.

As Clint was typing a reply, he didn't hear Laura walk into the kitchen through his bad ear. He jumped, startled, when she put a hand on his shoulder. He frantically looked up, only to see it was her greeting Tony.

"Welcome back, Tony." She beamed as she briefly rubbed her husband's shoulders.

Tony answered without looking up from his work. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

Clint put one of his hands on Laura's as they sat in place on his shoulders. He gently ran circles with his fingers on her soft skin. "Thanks for stopping by to fix them," Laura replied. "Clint can't stand it when his hearing aids break. Something about hating getting snuck up on…" She smirked as they shared a glance, remembering the startle she gave him when she walked in a few moments prior.

"Yeah, I've noticed this hawk hates jumpscares. I don't know how he stays in this business. Ever watch a horror movie with him?" Tony teased as he took another tool from his bag.

"Oh, he can't stand those things." Laura laughed. "I think his favorite movies are the princess ones he watches with Lila."

"I'm right here you know," Clint stated, slightly annoyed at their teasing but taking into account that it was all in good fun. "And don't knock the princess movies until you've watched them with a daughter who's obsessed with them."

"Well then," Tony started as he moved his glasses onto his head and looked at the piece in the light. "I guess I'll never know how much you like them."

Laura continued to try making casual conversation with Tony to get to know him better. Tony had only visited once with the rest of the Avengers during Ultron's fight, so she never got the chance to get to know all of his teammates that day. They were all preoccupied with the mission at hand and there were a lot of Avengers in her house at once to get to know them all. She only got to know them when they occasionally visited after, but Tony never came back for a visit.

Clint would be lying if he had only wanted Tony to come to the farm to fix his hearing aids. He knew Laura wanted to meet him properly, so he used this as the perfect reason for him to stop by.

But Tony didn't add much to Laura's conversation as he was busy with his task at hand, so she eventually decided that it would be better to get to know him when he wasn't busy. She ended up leaving the room using the crying Nathaniel as an excuse.

Tony was done fixing the aids not long after. "Here, test it out." He said as he walked over to put it back in his ear.

The second it was in place, Clint instantly heard the difference. He took in a sigh of relief as he could actually hear properly again. "That's much better. Thanks Tony."

"I'm a miracle worker," he beamed with his arms spread out in front of him. He said it in more of a joking manner if any, but he couldn't help but love the appreciation. "I'm going to have to check the second one though." He said as he focused on the task again and moved to the opposite ear to take the other hearing aid out.

"Why?" Clint asked, not understanding why he needed to do that.

"They work as a unit," Tony explained. "If one is damaged the other overcompensates to help you hear a bit better out of the 'good' ear. This ear will sound weird now that the other is fixed."

Now understanding, Clint let him take out the other aid and mess with it. The hearing aids were Tony and Bruce's creation they gave him when they discovered Clint had a hearing problem. They were significantly better than the old ones he had, he barely noticed he wore these because they were basically implanted inside his ear. They were all kinds of proof, invisible to the eyes, and he almost never had to take them out.

That was his favorite part, not having to take them out. It helped him forget he had it while it hid the issue from everyone else. He never liked it when people asked how he lost 80% of his hearing. He'd always explain it as constantly being so close to explosions in his day job that it eventually took a toll on his hearing. But it wasn't the complete truth. He just wanted to avoid mentioning he had his fair share of hearing problems as a kid due to some... 'father-inflicted injuries.'

Clint was knocked out of his thoughts as he felt the hearing aid return to his ear. "There, my job is done." Tony stated and started packing up his bag.

"You're not leaving yet, are you? You just got here." Clint asked as he stood up from his chair, noticing it looked a lot like his friend was packing up to go.

"I mean, I don't want to intrude on you and your family." He said. "Plus, I don't think I'm good with…. Tiny agents."

"Kids?" Clint asked, even though he knew the answer. He knew Tony wasn't very comfortable around kids, and that was yet again another reason Clint wanted him to visit. If he actually got to know a couple of kids, then maybe it would help him out with that. "They're harmless, I'm sure they'd love to meet you properly."

"Nah, I think I'm good." Tony replied and started to walk towards the door, Clint trailing behind. "Thanks for the offer though."

Before he could leave however, Clint went by the steps and yelled up them. He was determined to have Tony stay and meet the family officially. "Honey? Should Tony stay for dinner?"

She answered him from upstairs. She still wanted to get to know him so she replied, "Of course, we'd love to have him. Tony's more than welcome to stay."

"You heard the lady," Clint smirked.

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He seemed more nervous than annoyed. "Well…. I guess I can't disobey the Mrs... Even if I tried to leave I feel like she'd force me to stay anyway."

"See? You're getting to know this family already," Clint patted his friend's back. He was right, when Laura wanted someone to stay for dinner they would be _forced_ to stay for dinner. Clint had yet to see one person get out of it.

Tony looked around the farm house. "So what do you guys do all day anyway? This isn't exactly the city. Not much happens here."

"Relax and chores. That's all that needs to be done out here," Clint simply answered. "You like building, want to help me finish reflooring the sunroom? I started it after Sokovia but when Nathaniel came into play, I haven't had much time to finish it."

"At least it's not boring relaxation," Tony agreed and followed Clint there.

For the next few hours they worked in the half floored sunroom, the occasional barging in of the kids and Laura interrupting them. Laura mainly came to see their progress while the kids wanted to steal the occasional Q and A from the famous billionaire.

Over time, the sun grew low in the sky as they neared the end of their task of putting the floorboards in place.

Laura came in one last time, letting them know she was there by knocking on the door frame. "Dinner will be ready in fifteen, guys. Wow, you two got far."

"Well," Tony started as he wiped a bit of sweat from his brow, "We are a team. Just without Patriot, Green Giant, Assassin Girl, and Goldie Locks…." He said as he put another floorboard into place.

"Assassin Girl? Really? You couldn't have thought of a better nickname for Natasha?" Clint sighed in disbelief while practically tossing another floorboard at Tony. "We'll be done in a few, Laura."

She nodded, leaving the room with a smile as they joked. She also couldn't be happier that they finally made progress on the room that had been left unfinished for months on end.

After the two teammates nailed the last floorboard down minutes later, they went to meet the rest of the family for dinner.

"Are you sure I can't multitask while I eat?" Tony asked as he stood up, dusting off his jeans and t-shirt. "I will gladly take the food in here and add some finishing Stark touches to this room while I eat."

"Sorry, but this isn't you lab, Tony." Clint simply said as he gave his friend a pat on the back. Partly to reassure the billionaire his family didn't bite. "You'll have to multitask by eating and socializing at the dinner table instead."

Tony just rolled his eyes at his friend while they walked into the kitchen to wash their hands, sweat stained shirts and all.

"You two need to take showers after dinner," Laura commented as she put the last of the dishes on the kitchen table and called the kids in, who were running around outside.

"Noted," Clint replied as he dried his hands on a towel, Tony following soon after.

As the five of them sat down, Nathaniel having been feed earlier and was currently napping, the mashed potatoes and chicken taunted them as they waited to eat. They had to say grace before they could begin the meal.

Tony couldn't help but be a little confused by the action of everyone holding each other's hands around the table. But quickly realizing that this must have been a form of family tradition, he joined in to be respectful. Even if he felt rather uncomfortable holding the hand of Clint and his daughter, Lila. He also couldn't help but notice how small the hand of the child's was in his own.

It didn't take long before grace ended and they started dispersing the food. After they did, they made some casual conversation and Tony took that time to ask about the grace that had happened minutes ago.

"I never took you as a religious guy, Clint." Tony asked as he ate a piece of chicken.

Clint shrugged. "Well, I'm not. Not really." There was a pause as he looked around the dinner table at his family. "But I've found it helpful to have a little extra faith. With my job... Sometimes we need it."

Laura nodded in agreement with her husband. "It's a comfort for when times get rough. A little extra faith can go a long way."

"I guess that makes sense," Tony said over eating some green beans. "I've never been a religious guy either. I just find it hard to believe in anything with what we see in our day job. Aliens, gods, magic…. Some pretty mind blowing crap happens that I don't think any one religion can explain."

"Watch your language at the table," Laura raised an eyebrow and pointed an accusing fork at him. Tony replied by putting his hands up slightly in defense with a nod. But he couldn't help but laugh in his mind as he noticed she sounded a lot like Cap when she scolded them about swearing.

"Good job on the sunroom guys," Laura changed the subject after a bite of food. "It's looking great. Thanks Tony for helping Clint with it. It would have taken him much longer to finish the job without you."

"No problem Mrs. Barton." Tony replied honestly.

"No 'Mrs. Barton' stuff, it's Laura." She gave a warm smile to Tony. She never liked being so formal, especially with people they considered friends.

"Laura," He nodded. "Actually, I was talking with Clint while working. I could come by again and help you guys knock out the east wall of the dining room to give this house more space…"

"Oh no," Laura sighed. "No. No more projects. You promised fixing the sunroom would be the last renovation, Clint." She directed the annoyance towards her husband.

"Yeah, I know. But I was thinking that if you knock out that wall, expand the house a little, we could make a new office for you. Since Nathaniel stole your old office, I figured that could be the perfect space. You would get your own room for peace and quiet, you'll be able to see the kids when they're outside, and plus, we never use the dining room anyways. Having that room unused is just a waste." Clint tried to convince his wife through his many reasons why it would be a good idea.

Laura put her fork down so she could rub her face with a sigh. "I don't know…." She replied, actually considering the idea. It would be nice to have her own office space again...

"With my help, we can put up the extended wall in less than two days." Tony stated, not really to take sides but instead simply say he'd be willing to help if they decide to go through with it.

There was silence as she continued thinking about the proposal. "I know that rebuilding parts of the house is a hobby for you Clint, but will it ever stop? We can't just keep tearing down parts of the house."

"Just think about it," Clint simply said to not force the idea. He ended up putting his hand on his wife's knee to reinforce that he wasn't putting her on the spot. "I promise not to tear anything down without your approval."

"And if you ever need me, you know where to find me," Tony nodded.

As Laura shook her head again, they all continued to eat. Cooper decided it was his turn to ask a question as he wanted to join the conversation with the billionaire. Between mouthfuls from across the table, he asked, "So are you like, the richest guy in the world?"

"I like to think so," Tony smiled brightly. "I am a genius, billionaire…..philanthropist." He paused between his famous title as he decided it was probably best to not mention the 'playboy' part in front of the kids. Laura would likely scold him again.

Lila looked up at the older man next to her, confused. "What's a philanthropist?"

Tony was about to answer but stopped to think about it for a moment. He never been asked that question before because everyone he'd talked to knew what it was. Then again, he rarely ever talked to kids. He shrugged. "I basically donate a lot of money to help people."

"Oh, that's nice!" Lila grinned. "Do you help animals too?" She loved animals, and the deer family moving in had only intensified her love and desire to help them in any way she could. She recently even tried to convince Laura she wanted to be a vegetarian, but Laura had to make her a deal that if she wanted to go through with it, she'd have to start a few years from now when she's older and could understand proper nutritional research. Right now, she needed to make sure her daughter was growing healthily and getting proper nutrition the only way she knew how.

But this did explain why Lila had barely touched the chicken in her meal.

"On occasion we help animals," Tony replied while eating a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "A few years ago, Pepper and I implemented a way to power New York City with clean energy. We wanted to help give back to the environment, and since it was a success we're currently trying to spread it to other cities. Helping the world, nature and humans, is a big focus for Stark Industries right now."

Tony looked back up at the family. They were all silent for a moment as Tony seemed to forget he was talking to kids and not businessmen. He sat there for an awkward moment, slowly chewing his food. But Lila quickly piped in, fascinated. "That's awesome! You're cool!"

"Why thank you," Tony said, his ego starting to skyrocket but he couldn't help but be flattered by the excited child. "You kids aren't too bad yourselves."

The Lila and Cooper smiled at each other, glad that the famous man liked them. For the rest of dinner, they continued to ask Tony questions about the tower, what it was like to be rich, and more. And as the meal came to a close, Tony had slowly warmed up to the Barton children.

When Tony and Clint were standing by the front door, ready to see each other off as the evening ended, Tony said, "I suppose it's time for me to head out."

"You're welcome to stay longer, Tony." Clint threw the offer out there, even though he knew what the answer would be.

Tony picked up his tool bag by the door. "I can't avoid Pepper forever. She'll have my head if I stay longer."

"Well, you're welcome to stop by any time you're in the neighborhood. Just let us know. The kids would love to see you again I'm sure." Clint smiled at his teammate.

"Thanks," He replied, "But I don't think I'll be in the middle of nowhere anytime soon. Tell Laura thanks for the meal, she can really cook. Unlike you."

"Haha," Clint said sarcastically as Tony opened the door to leave. But he knew his friend was right, Clint was a lousy cook. "You can gladly make dinner next time the team has a movie night, I would gladly give up that chore."

"Yeah, no. I'm good," Tony smirked as the two walked onto the porch. "But I'll see ya whenever, Legolas." Tony said as he walked over to his car while Clint leaned against the porch railing instead of following.

"See ya, Man of Steel." He said from his comfortable position.

Tony gave a small solute as he put on his shades. When he started driving down the driveway, Clint heard him shout. "It's Iron Man!"

Clint gave a chuckle as he continued to lean against the railing, looking out at the summer sunset as it started disappearing behind the trees in the distant forest.

He couldn't help but smile as he could properly hear the birds chirping for the first time in a few _long_ days.

* * *

 **Don't forget I'm always open to one-shot ideas! If you have a cute/hurt/comfort mini story you want me to write, let me know and I'll see what I can do!:)** **I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! Thanks to all who follow, favorite, and comment!:)**


	12. Neighbor

To no one's surprise, Clint was once again practicing archery in the forest. It had become an important part of his weekly routine whenever he found free time. A few times each week he'd go out to the forest, check on the deer, and practice his archery.

He had already made sure the deer were doing okay and was currently shooting a far off tree. He knocked yet another arrow, about to line up his shot when he heard a noise in the distance.

Senses automatically going into overdrive, Clint turned in the direction of the sound. It was still distant, he couldn't see what was causing it through the thick summer underbrush, but he could tell it was too big to be a deer.

 _'Could it be a bear?'_ He thought to himself as he tried to think of an explanation for what was making the sound. Maybe one decided to move in like the deer had.

No, it wasn't a bear. The noise was of a two legged creature, not four. It was definitely a human since there was a steady rhythm to the way the sound moved on the leaves. It was totally footsteps.

Clint hid behind a tree, hearing the constant crunch continue. Whoever they were, they were coming closer.

It was at times like these when Clint was glad to have his weapon on him. He never knew what, or who, could potentially be lurking. It was a comfort to at least have his trusty bow with him just in case danger was near his home. He could deal with it swiftly before it had the chance to attack his family.

Clint let out a barely audible breath, hearing the footsteps on the uneven ground continue. They didn't seem to move cautiously, or be in a rush. They were simply taking their time. Casual.

Clint looked at the grass and leaves of the forest floor. The sun was low enough in the sky and the tree canopy was just thin enough to let him see the sight shadow of a person coming in from his left. The person themselves were just far enough to stay hidden from Clint's view, and he couldn't take a peak in case he was seen. So he kept his eyes on the walking shadow, waiting until it grew close enough to make his move.

When they were in the perfect spot for an ambush, Clint jumped out from hiding, arrow knocked. He aimed it directly at the trespasser.

"Ah! Don't shoot!" The intruder yelled as they stumbled backwards, hands raised high in the air when they saw the man pointing a weapon at them. The intruder couldn't help but squeeze their eyes shut, anticipating an attack from the arrow in his hand.

Clint's stoic expression turned to one of recognition as he saw the thirteen year old boy in front of him. "Abraham?" Clint said as he lowered his weapon in confusion so he wouldn't shoot his neighbor. "What are you doing here?"

Abraham opened one of his eyes and realized that it was only Clint. With a sigh of relief, he lowered his hands and stuttered out a response. "I ah... didn't think you would mind, umm Mr. Barton. Or ah… be home." He rubbed his neck, slightly embarrassed by the way he acted from the archer's startle.

Clint put the arrow back into his quiver in one swift movement, shifting the bow to rest comfortably in his opposite hand. The boy in front of him was named Abraham Schamberg, and he and his family lived next door. Well, if a couple acre stretch was considered next door. Nonetheless, they were the Barton's closest neighbors and shared the same forest.

"I don't mind," Clint said, "as long as you don't sneak up on me like that." He gave the reddish, brown haired boy a smile.

Abraham coughed at Clint's statement. "I snuck up on you? I think _you_ snuck up on _me_."

"Sorry, I've been known to overreact a bit," Clint explained. "But you _are_ the one trespassing," He lightly teased the kid.

Abraham didn't take it as a tease, however. "Oh... I could, um, leave. If you want," He said and started to head back onto his own family's property, not far away from where they stood.

Clint put a hand on the boy's shoulder and caught him before he could walk away. "No. I'm just messing with you, kid." Once he made sure Abraham knew he wasn't mad and just teasing, Clint took his hand off the boy's shoulder. "But what were you doing wandering around in this neck of the woods?"

Abraham looked down at his feet. "I just…. I don't know..."

"Hey, what's up?" Clint asked, sure that something was bothering him.

"It's just... parents. You know? Sometimes I just need space," He vaguely said with a shrug. He didn't want to go into much detail about it. "The forest is always relaxing, I just like exploring a bit."

"Well, I completely agree with you there. The forest is my go-to place for space," Clint smiled. He didn't want to force Abraham to talk about what was on his mind, especially since they weren't the closest of people. The Barton's and the Schamberg's would occasionally have family dinners and outings, but Abraham obviously got along better with Cooper than the adults, being only a year older than Coop.

There was an awkward silence between the kid and adult before Clint decided to break it. "Well, if you're looking for a place to relax, do you want to see a deer den? Since you're already trespassing, you might as well keep up your criminal record."

The kid shrugged as he tried to decide what to do. Abraham knew Mr. Barton, they weren't a strangers at all, but he didn't want to feel like he was intruding or feel awkward. But if he did go, he could ask for advice…

"Might as well," The boy finally decided. "I'm not ready to head back home anyway."

"Then follow me," Clint said as he motioned for his neighbor to trail behind. And just like that, Clint was on yet another adventure of introducing people to the deer family. He couldn't help but wonder if the deer ever minded getting so much company.

"So…" Abraham asked as he cleared his throat awkwardly. "We haven't seen you around town lately."

"Yeah, we've been a bit busy..." Clint said as they walked along the uneven ground, occasionally stepping over a fallen tree branch.

"Flying airplanes?" The kid asked, remembering the job that Clint said he had. He didn't know it was his cover, being a pilot for a popular airline. The whole town believed the lie was true, nobody but his family knew that his job was actually a spy. Everyone simply thought Clint wasn't home often because he was flying back and forth between countries. It was a cover that Shield easily reinforced as Clint actually did have knowledge in the subject of airplanes and other countries, often flying the quinjet for the team and going on missions around the world.

Clint gave a chuckle. "Surprisingly, no. I actually have a few months off because of Nathaniel. That baby is just a handful to take care of."

"Ah. Well, I wouldn't know what that's like," Abraham simply said. He was an only child, so he never got to experience a baby in the house. He didn't even have a sibling to talk to and fill the empty air of his house when his parents always came home from work late.

"So how's your family doing? We haven't gotten together in a while," Clint asked. He wasn't much for small talk, but he did like the Schamberg's and had to admit he was curious. The two families hadn't met up in a while, so he didn't know how they were doing. Clint also thought it would help break the tension between the two.

"You know, they're busy with parent stuff." He shrugged. "They still own and work the diner in town, so that keeps them busy most days. Nothing really exciting happens."

"Well, that's no surprise. Nothing ever happens in this town," Clint stated. It was the truth, nothing ever did happen in this town, but that's why he loved it. No surprises, no alien invasions, it was a simple life where he didn't have to worry about danger at every turn. It was a place where he could let his guard down. It was rare for him to have a place like that.

They continued to walk in silence, a question occasionally being asked, until they reached the deer den. Clint found the log he sometimes sat on to watch the deer because it was a good distance away from them but still close enough to see. Ever since the baby came, Clint was sure to give the family a little extra space.

Luckily, the deer were roaming around the area a bit, deciding to stay closer to home for their meal today. It gave the two the perfect opportunity to watch them in action.

Clint sat against the log and Abraham eventually copied. Through the trees, they watched the deer. "We have to make sure we give them space and not get too close. The fawn is just a couple months old and the mother is very protective."

The kid simply nodded and proceeded to ask a few questions about them, such as when they discovered the deer, and when the fawn was born. Clint gladly answered his questions and included some of his own information, like what they named the deer.

They watched the deer graze on the nearby plants, Ivy desperately trying to get her child to start eating some of the foliage. The child in turn pranced around under her, clearly wanting the mother's milk instead of the green leaves.

After a while of Clint and Abraham both relaxing, the two grew more comfortable in each other's presence. Finally, Abraham decided that now was the perfect chance to ask for the advice he needed. "Did you ever have problems with your parents?" He wondered as they sat there against the log.

Clint couldn't help but briefly be pulled back into his own past at the mention of 'family problems,' and just for a second he feared one of the worst case scenarios for what Abraham meant by that. Clint looked at the kid, silently scanning for any signs of physical abuse.

No, Clint would have been able to tell from a mile away if Abraham was suffering from something like that. He knew from experience.

After a minute, Clint finally answered his question. "Yeah, my family had a number of problems. Which sort are you referring to?" He wanted to find out exactly what Abraham meant by 'family problems,' he wanted to make sure it wasn't something that could harm the kid.

"I don't know…" He hesitated but decided to open up if he wanted any help. "My parents just put a lot of pressure on me. With grades, high school coming up, and eventually working at the diner with them, it's just a lot of unnecessary stress."

Clint nodded at that. His own parents had many problems when they were alive, but school pressure wasn't one of them. They could have cared less about that. That added to not attending school due to living with the circus after they died, this was one problem Clint couldn't relate to well.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when Abraham continued by asking another question. "Did you deal with anything like that?"

"Well, not really…" Clint thought aloud as he tried to remember if he had been through a similar situation before. "My parents could care less about what we did about school, but it was my brother that tried to enforce my education situation. I probably should have listened more than I did, it would have helped me out a lot in the future."

"Do you have any advice on how to maybe handle the stress?" Abraham asked, unsure if Clint could help based on his vague answer. But he knew Clint sometimes gave good advice, so he hoped he had at least some wisdom to pass on because he frankly had no clue of how to deal with the truckloads of stress himself. He didn't want to ask his parents about it... It was somehow easier to talk about his problems with someone he didn't know as well.

"Well I'm not sure how well I can help because I don't know your exact situation," Clint said as he tried to think of a good solution to his problem. Or at least a tip to help him. "But just continue doing what you're doing right now."

"What?" Abraham asked, unconvinced that the tip was helpful. "You mean watching deer?"

"Sure. If watching the deer is a way to relax, then do it." Clint said. "If walking through the forest helps you relax or playing video games, then do those things. I come out here and do archery to reduce my stress. Take breaks by doing little activities you enjoy. It can go a longer way than you think."

Abraham was silent for a moment until Clint continued with his hopefully helpful tips. "But you know what you should do?"

"What?" Abraham asked, curious as to what he was getting at.

"Talk to your parents about it," Clint simply said. "If they're part of the reason why you have this stress because they're the ones putting extra pressure on you, you need to talk to them about it. It's likely they don't know they're doing this, and they can't read minds so they won't know it's bothering you until you tell them."

The teen thought about his advice before his main problem slipped out. "But they really want me to take over their diner some day, and if I tell them I don't want to... I just don't think they'll understand. That diner is they're whole life."

Clint couldn't help but chuckle at the kid's statement, which caused him to receive a raised eyebrow from Abraham.

"What?" Abraham asked, very confused at why he was laughing. He didn't think his situation was funny.

"I'm sorry," Clint managed to get out as he ended his laughter. "It's just what you said, that the diner is their whole life. It's not. I know."

Clint turned to face Abraham, who still had no idea what he meant. It took Clint a quick second before he realized the kid was expecting him to elaborate. "You're they're whole life, not their job. I know because I'm a parent like them who has a crazy busy job. I know that my friends, my family, and especially my kids are my whole life. My job takes up a lot of my time, but I'm doing it for my family. Your parents are the same as they work so much at their diner so they could make enough money to support you. They do their job because they want to give you a good life, meaning their world revolves around you, not the diner. As cheesy as it sounds, it's true."

Abraham looked away, taking into consideration what Clint said. He never really thought about it like that before, he only ever noticed that they were always working at the diner and rarely home. He only ever noticed the stress they put on him.

But Clint wasn't done. "I've sadly known parents who's whole life weren't their kids, so trust me when I say I can tell if they care or not. I may not know your family like the back of my hand, but I know for a fact that they care immensely about you. That means they will understand if you don't want to work at the diner or don't need extra pressure put on your shoulders. In time, they will help you find solutions, but first you need to tell them there's a problem that needs fixing."

As Clint finished what he wanted to say, the two sat in silence for the next few minutes. Abraham thought about what the adult sitting next to him said. Still not sure of what to make of it, but he didn't dismiss it. Maybe he _should_ talk to his parents about what's on his mind... Maybe...

"But those are my words of wisdom," Clint said after turning his attention back to the deer in front of them. "Take that knowledge as you please."

As their conversation was finally finished, they continued to watch the deer eat while their fawn pranced around aimlessly. Occasionally they went back to questions about the deer, but they sat in relative silence.

Eventually though, the deer wandered out of sight and the sun began to set further. Clint decided it was time to send Abraham home before his parents worried too much. He walked Abraham back to where they met at the boarder of the two properties, asking, "Can you find your way back from here?"

The kid nodded. "Yeah, I've come out here a lot so I'm learning the layout pretty well." He said and paused. "Thanks for showing me the deer, Mr. Barton. They were really cool."

"No problem, kid." Clint smiled.

He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "And thanks for the advice."

Clint simply nodded as he replied, "I'm always free for talking if you need it. But tell your parents we need to have a family get together again."

This time Abraham nodded. "I will."

As the kid started to walk away, Clint said one last thing. "Try not to trespass too much, I don't want to accidentally shoot you one day."

Abraham burst out in laughter. Not really believing he was serious about that until he saw Clint's face. Once he realized he was, he gave a small salute. "You got it, Mr. Barton."

When he was almost out of sight, Clint heard him shout with a smile, "Sorry for trespassing!"


	13. Hide and Seek

"Do I have this right? No corn fields, no forest, but anywhere in the house, yard, barn, and plains are in bounds?"

"Yeah, basically anywhere not in the fields and forest are in limits. Last year was a disaster with the corn fields." Cooper clarified for his father.

"Gotcha," Clint answered, understanding the rules. "And we're allowed to move?"

Lila replied, "Once every half hour."

"How much time do we have to begin with?" Natasha asked.

"Three minutes." Lila said.

"Only three minutes? Last year you gave us five." Natasha raised her eyebrows.

"We had to switch it up somehow," Cooper said with a devious tone to match his smile.

Clint took a breath, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Well then, are we going to get down to it?"

"Yeah, are our watches synchronized?" Cooper asked as they all double checked their watches, synchronizing them within seconds.

"Okay, into the closet you go," Clint said as he ushered the kids inside. "No cheating this year."

Once the two young kids were in the closet with the door closed, Clint got the timer on his watch ready. "On the count of three, guys. One….. Two….. Three!" And just like that, Clint gave Natasha a silent nod as they ran out of the house in a silent scutter, their yearly game of hide and seek commencing.

Every summer when Nat was in town, the family played an intense game of hide and seek on their property. But the thing that made this game unique from all the other games of hide and seek the kids played was the fact that it was always the two master spies who hid, and the rest of the family was against them.

The kids had three hours to find them. Laura was also allowed to join in on the hunt, but this year she decided to pass as Nathaniel was requiring extra attention today. Some years the family could find the partners in crime, while other years it seemed nearly impossible. It was a tough game on both sides, but it was a fun tradition.

Before Natasha and Clint split up to hide in their separate spots, they made their game plan.

"You have the snacks?" Clint asked his best friend.

"Yeah. You have the binoculars?" She asked and he swiftly handed her the pair.

"Meet up in 90 minutes? In the big tree?" Clint made sure.

Natasha nodded, "I'll be hiding on the roof for the first shift, I found a nice spot up there last year."

"I'll be in the barn. We'll keep in touch through the comms." Clint smiled and the two friends fled to go off in their separate ways.

Clint looked at his watch before he watched Natasha ninja her way onto the roof of his house using the gutters. One minute left.

Clint ran into the barn and climbed the ladder as fast as he could to reach the second level. This floor of the barn had hay bales galore, but he wasn't going to hide in the stored away hay, it would be too easy to find him there. Too predictable. So instead he climbed on some of the bales and hid in the rafters. He would be a bit exposed, but his kids often didn't look up as he'd successfully hid here a few years in a row. He had one nook where he was hidden in the cover of shadows, so unless they got lucky and found the rare spot where he could be spotted, they wouldn't find him. Clint noted that he would have to remind them that they needed to look at all angles, especially up.

He would be lying if Clint said he would only play these games for fun. They were fun and he loved them, but he also wanted to teach his family skills just in case something did happen. He liked to keep his work out of his family life, except when it came to his work friends visiting, but he wanted to make sure that if the work ever came to his family that they would at least be prepared and have some basic survival skills. Playing hide and seek with spies helped them use their observation to find the bad guys and hopefully that would help in avoiding them.

Tucked away in his perch, Clint kept a close eye on his watch and the ground below.

The fifteen minute mark was when he finally got some action. He suddenly heard one of the kids come into the barn, and instantly he knew it was Cooper.

Clint kept an eye on his son while still staying hidden away. Cooper looked under the tractor, and poked the various haystacks with a stick to make sure he wasn't in them.

As he moved on from the ground floor, checking every nook and cranny he could, he started moving to the second. It wasn't long before Lila came in. "Any luck?" Lila asked from the doorway.

"I found some of his footprints leading in here," Cooper said and Clint couldn't help but smile. He was learning how to track now, that could come in handy. "But he might have just placed them there to mess with me. Any luck with the air vents?"

"No, but we'll probably have to check again later just in case." Lila said.

' _Darn, that's my favorite spot…'_ Clint thought as he heard that. ' _I guess I'll have to skip that spot this year.'_

They finished up their searching plans and went their separate ways. Clint noting that they talked rather loud to be stealthy… Maybe they were onto him and throwing him off…..

Clint smirked. They were getting better at this game, now he just had to figure out what was running through their heads.

Cooper continued searching for a while as it passed the half hour mark. Clint was free to leave and go to a different spot if he wanted, but he had to wait until the coast was clear.

Eventually, Cooper had looked through most of the good hiding places and took the ladder down to the ground. But before he left the barn, his eyes glanced upwards. He looked around above him, looking for any clues, but from Clint's high angle Cooper wasn't able to see him in his spot. If only he had looked up while he was on the second level, he might have been able to spot Clint in the rafters.

Clint smiled as Cooper walked out. Since they ruined his plans of hiding in the air vents, he decided to continue waiting in his spot for the next shift. Clint didn't want to risk them finding him if they searched there again.

"Where are you now, Nat?" Clint asked through the private comm link they used for their yearly game.

It took a moment, but eventually she replied quietly, "The basement."

"Why are you whispering?" He asked.

"The dryer makes my voice echo," She simply replied. "I'll update with you next shift."

"Roger that," Clint said as she signed off, not being able to hide the small laugh under his breath. Of course Natasha would decide to hid in the dryer. He hoped Laura wasn't thinking of doing laundry within the next half hour, that would blow her cover.

As time passed, they finally reached the 90 minute mark. The time they decided to meet up.

Stealthily, Clint jumped down from his spot after making sure the coast was clear. He slid down the ladder and made his way to the barn's back door.

He opened it just a crack to make sure the kids weren't around, and he carefully made his way to the large oak tree in their backyard that he and Nat were planning to meet at. Clint was exposed, out in the open, so it was hard to get there without being spotted by the kids looking around the yard. Eventually though, they went back into the house to search.

Clint sprinted the rest of the way to the tree and quickly jumped up on the branches to make himself scarce, hidden in the cover of the leaves.

He let out a breath only to be startled by a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find Natasha, a bag of trail mix in her hands as she ate a few nuts.

"You better have saved some for me," Clint smirked at the half eaten bag. It was obvious she munched on the snack throughout their game.

She shrugged and handed him the rest. "I tried."

Clint gladly took the bag off of her hands as he took this time to catch up with his friend. Since the kids were still in the house, they had time to talk instead of staying completely silent. "So, came back here just for this, huh?" He said through a mouthful of the mix.

A slight smile graced her lips. "I can't miss this. If I did I'd be breaking tradition. The kids would never forgive me."

"True. They would _totally_ hate you forever if you did that," Clint said sarcastically. "How was the mission though? I heard it was a rough one."

"There's a lot of rough ones these days," Natasha frowned. "Something's rotten in the state of Denmark, but but we have no clue what."

Clint nodded in contemplation. Ever since Shield 'officially' fell, everything had been different. For both missions and the organization. Shield was still up and running, but it was more like an underground organization as opposed to a government regulated one. The staff was significantly lowered as only the trusted members were still kept working, but the many missions Fury sent Natasha on have seemed to be connected in very small ways. It was concerning that something bigger might be happening below the surface.

Natasha reached over and grabbed another handful of trail mix, Clint giving her a friendly glare. She already ate half the bag and wanted his share, but in reality he didn't mind sharing with Natasha. "So why'd you need binoculars?"

"Well, not everyone has hawk eyes," She stated. "Believe it or not but most people don't 'see better from a distance.' Most people can't see well across your enormous backyard."

"Point taken," Clint simply replied. "There's only one 'Amazing Hawkeye,' afterall."

She rolled her eyes at his response and continued to munch on the snack in her hand.

"How was the dryer?" Clint smirked.

"Not my favorite spot, but it's more spacious than those air vents. How do you still crawl around in those things so easily? You're a grown arse man."

This time, Clint was the one who got to shrug. "I've gotten used to them over the years." He simply stated.

Air vents have always been his go-to means of escaping a situation, even as a kid. If his father was throwing punches, the ventilation system was always a safe place he could escape to. A place his father couldn't reach him, a place he couldn't get hurt. That feeling of safety had apparently stuck with him in adulthood as, despite not being a fan of enclosed spaces, the vents were still a place he could move around relatively easily in and didn't feel locked up.

Clint was knocked out of his thoughts by the sound of the screen door on the house creaking open. Cooper came out alone, Lila still inside. He started to make his second rounds to see if they could be found in their switched places.

Clint checked his watch. Only an hour left before they won. It has been a half hour since the two friends met up in this tree so they were technically allowed to leave, but it was too risky right now with Cooper in the yard. They both silently decided to stay put.

They continued sitting on the branches motionless while keeping a close eye on Cooper to make sure he didn't come near their tree. Suddenly, the two jumped as they heard a shout underneath them.

"Ha! I found you!" Lila shouted from under the tree branches looking up at her father and aunt. "Hey, Cooper! We got'em!"

Cooper came running across the yard with a smirk as he high fived his little sister. "I knew it! I knew they were still in that tree!"

Clint and Natasha hopped down from their branches and onto the ground with a light thud. "How the hell did you know we were in this tree?" Clint asked the proud team in front of him.

Cooper replied, "I saw you make a break for it when we went into the house a while ago. We waited a while to see if you would move, but when you didn't Lila snuck out the front of the house and went the long way around the yard. She moved through the fields so you wouldn't see her sneak up on you."

"I thought the fields were off limits?" Clint slightly narrowed his eyes, suspecting them of cheating.

"They're off limits for the hiders, not the seekers." Lila stated as if it was a well known fact. "But I didn't know you were in the tree too, Auntie Nat."

"That's it," Natasha laughed and punched Clint in the arm. "I'm not hiding with you ever again. You always get me caught."

"Hey," Clint defended. "You're the one that choose this tree to hide in, the one out in the open."

"Hey, they never would have found us if it weren't for you," She stated. "It's called hiding in places they least expect it, but apparently you aren't graceful enough to reach it without being seen."

"If you say so," Clint ended the light banter with his friend and turned towards the kids, ruffling their hair. "Great job kiddos, that's another point for you two on the scoreboard."

"Yes!" They both shouted and gave each other another high five, still proud that they managed to find the spies this time.

"You two are getting better at this each year," Clint smiled. "Soon we'll be the ones finding you."

"Really?" Cooper asked, excitement on his face at the chance of being able to hide. "Awesome!"

Clint and Natasha shared a knowing smile. They could tell the day they get to seek the kids out would be fun, even if they totally wouldn't last long their first time around. But the kids didn't have to know that yet, they'd find out soon enough….

As the four of them walked back to the house, Clint could help but ask the nagging question on his mind. "When you two were talking in the barn, why did you speak so loudly?"

"So you _were_ in the barn..." Cooper thought aloud before answering his question. "We thought if you overheard us then we could trick you into not going into the air vents again. One less place to look. Plus, it's a hassle trying to navigate them."

Clint couldn't help but ruffle Cooper's hair again as they neared the house, a large grin on his face. "Man, you guys are getting good at this game."


	14. Tony & Kids

"Back so soon?" Laura asked Tony as he approached the Barton's porch to greet her.

"Hey, you're the one that sent for me," Tony shrugged with a smile.

A second later, Clint appeared in the doorway carrying the five month old Nathaniel. "So you're the culprit?" He said to his wife as if he just solved a puzzle. "I was wondering why this billionaire was gracing us again with his presence."

Laura smirked at her husband while Tony said, "So why'd you call me here exactly? I would like to know what I'm in for before I get in too deep." Laura had only given him a vague explanation over the phone before he came. It was something about needing his help with a house project... "Are you extending the dining room?" He thought as he remembered the dinner discussion they had the last time he was here.

"Oh God no," She simply stated. "You're here to make sure Clint doesn't fall off the roof and break his leg again. He needs to patch it up and I don't trust him up there alone."

"I need a babysitter now?" Clint asked as he looked down at the squirming child in his arms, unimpressed that she called Tony here because she wanted him to keep watch. It only happened once...

"Yes," Was her plain and simple answer. She turned back to Tony, "Keep an eye on this kid, he's worse than his own."

Tony saluted with two fingers. "Yes, ma'am."

Laura walked up to Clint, who was mumbling to Nate. The child was pointing curiously at the man he had never seen before because Tony never got to officially meet the baby last time he visited. "Yeah," Clint said while giving his friend a brief glance and continuing in a slightly higher than normal voice, "That's Tony Stark. He's a friend from work. He can be a bit of a fruitcake but you learn to deal with him."

The child just smiled at the billionaire who returned it with a wave. "But I am the recipe for the perfect fruitcake," He proudly replied in an answer to Clint's mocking.

"Keep telling yourself that," Clint said as he transferred Nate into the arms of Laura.

"Do you want to hold him, Tony?" Laura offered as she could tell Nathaniel wanted to meet the new man. He kept ginning in Tony's direction and held out a grabbing hand towards him.

Tony politely declined. He wasn't sure if he felt comfortable holding such a fragile person in his arms, he almost didn't trust himself. "I think I'll pass. Sorry to disappoint, Nate."

Understanding his hesitance, she didn't force the matter on him. As she was about to walk back into the house, she said, "While you two ' _Avengers_ ' are fixing things up, can you take another look at the tractor Clint refuses to get rid of, Tony? You'll fix it much faster than he can, I'm sure, or maybe even convince him to buy a new one."

"Not likely, Honey," Clint commented before they shared a brief kiss.

When Laura disappeared behind the screen door with Nate, Tony turned back to Clint with the largest smug grin plastered on his face. Clint instantly knew what his friend as going to say and rolled his eyes before he even said it. "You broke your leg. Falling off the roof. Of your own house. I thought you were supposed to be a bird?"

"Shut it, Sherlock." Clint warned. "Or you'll wake up tomorrow with an arrow in your leg."

Clint's threat did nothing to Tony as he continued to smirk when they walked off the porch. "I assume we'll be working on that tractor first," Tony said as he noticed they were walking away from the house and into the fields.

"You got that right," Clint replied as they continued walking. It took a good minute to reach the tractor that conveniently decided to break down in the middle of use, so it was currently sitting in a half-plowed field. "I've tried my best, but I'm not a mechanic." Clint said as he patted the side of his precious machine

"Well, you're wife called in the right man for the job." Tony said as he opened it up to see what was wrong with the engine. "I fixed her once, I can do it again."

He messed around with it for a good while, Clint observing what he was doing in silence. Finally, Tony muttered under his breath before adjusting a few bits of the engine.

"Some of these parts are worn out," He said before standing up fully, still looking down at the it. "You're going to need to order new ones, or I can get them in town while I'm here."

"Hmm... I would prefer it if you didn't go into town," Clint said as he rubbed his chin. "I'd like to keep this place off the map as much as possible. If you take a pit stop in town, you won't go unnoticed."

"Well, that's the price of being famous," Tony said before looking at the archer. "I'll order you the new parts and get them here asap, then. I have confidence you'll know what to do with them, it's a simple tune up."

Clint nodded, glad his tractor would be sticking around. "Nice to hear."

Tony explained what Clint would have to do to fix up the tractor before shutting the latch to the engine door. Before they left to fix the roof, Tony decided to give the whole machine a once over so another uncaught problem wouldn't cause it to break down any time soon.

Clint continued to watch the engineer work but eventually his eyes wandered when he heard the shouts of his kids. He looked back at the house to find them at the swing set, Cooper pushing Lila as hard as possible on the swing, causing her to basically become horizontal with the ground as she was being pushed so high. Lila couldn't help but laugh at the butterflies in her stomach from the feeling of basically flying.

A smile inched its way onto the father's face as he watched them have fun, until he heard Tony say, "Woah…."

Turning back to the billionaire, Clint noticed that he was now on the ground, looking under the tractor. "What?"

"Something's alive under here," He simply said and pushed himself out from under it.

Clint raised an eyebrow, bending down to see what he was talking about. "If you turned my baby into an AI, Stark…." He said as he scanned the ground under the tractor. It only took him a second to realize what Tony was talking about. "Oh. Hey there, Ash."

"You know that thing?"

Clint smiled as the fawn looked directly at him with a mix of curiosity and confusion. "Yeah, it's a baby deer we named Ash. A deer family recently moved onto our property. Didn't you get the memo from the others who've visited?"

"Oh, so that's what all the fuss was about at the facility…." Tony said as some past conversations finally fell into place.

Actually, he had never seen a deer up close before, let alone a fawn. He never really went out to the forest for fun since he preferred to stay in the lab to work on new tech. Even as a kid his father never took him on camping trips like normal kids, so Tony decided he might as well take advantage of the opportunity of seeing a deer up close.

Joining Clint again in looking under the tractor, he had to admit that the tiny creature was rather cute. It simply sat there, looking almost as fragile as a baby with its thin legs and small body, but it also looked at him with eyes of wonder like Nate had when he saw Tony earlier. He couldn't help but find it funny how he could almost read the expressions of the deer like he was reading a human's.

They didn't get too close to the fawn, but it also didn't seem to be scared of the two humans observing it. Instead, it simply tilted its head at the two while eyeing them back. Ash moved its neck out towards them, as if wanting to get a closer look. However, it seemed to decide against actually moving and did it's best to get the closer look while staying in the hiding spot behind the tractor's large wheel.

Clint decided to take this close proximity to officially get an answer to a question that had been unknown for the past few months. He smiled as he finally had a positive answer to tell the kids.

"Well at least I now know Ash is a male," He mumbled as he looked the fawn over.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know that before?"

Clint gave the fawn one last smile before getting up from under the tractor, Tony soon following. "I had a hunch since I didn't see any patterns on the fawn's back. Randomly scattered spots are usually an indication of a male deer, while spots in a row are often female. But it's hard to tell for sure what the gender is until they're a few months old and you can get a closer look at their body."

"Well, even I learn something new everyday I suppose," Tony said as he watched Clint glance around the farm as if looking for something. "What are your hawk eyes searching for?"

Clint rolled his eyes at the comment but kept focused on his task. "I'm looking for the parents. It's normal for them to leave their fawn in a hiding place if they think danger is near or their out for a meal, but under my tractor is a weird place to keep this guy. Especially since this spot isn't exactly close to their home in the forest..."

"Well, they must have had some reason for stashing him here." Tony shrugged.

"Yeah…" Clint drifted as he looked around once more, the parents nowhere in sight. "But they should be back soon and I'm sure they wouldn't want two humans with their kid. Are you done giving the tractor a once over?"

"Basically," Tony said as he checked one more quick thing. " _Now_ I'm done."

"Then let's go work on the roof. Give Ash some space."

Tony nodded as they walked back to the house, stopping by the barn to get a ladder. As the two carried it past the swing set near the house, Lila and Cooper waved at Tony as they passed.

"Hi Mr. Stark!" Cooper shouted from across the way.

"Hey kid," Tony smiled as they disappeared around the corner of the house. He assumed he would have time to talk to the kids later, but right now they had a job to complete.

They set up the ladder near the damaged side of the roof and within minutes, they gathered their tools and got to work.

The roof was damaged in a huge storm that blew in three days ago. Some tree branches fell on top of the house, and it caused some water leakage inside. But before they could fix the inside damage they had to deal with the outside damage first, just in case another rainfall hit. This wasn't a major fix up now that they saw the damage, they just needed to replace some roof shingles to improve the waterproofing.

As soon as the two cleared the branches, tossing them off of the roof, they began the actual patch up job.

"So how'd you fall off the roof and break your leg anyway?" Tony couldn't help but ask as he carefully situated himself on the small incline. His curiosity got the best of him, he had to know what happened to put the hawk out of commission.

Clint shrugged and handed his friend some new roof shingles to split up his own pile. He didn't particularly like explaining embarrassing stories, but at least Tony asked in a way where he wasn't poking fun, just honestly wondering. "It was many years ago. It was slippery up here from a rainfall and I simply slipped and fell. Laura's been too nervous to send me up on the roof ever since, even though I jump off of twenty story buildings in my day job."

"Man, I was hoping for something juicier," Tony couldn't help but tease at his lame story.

"Yeah well, we all have our lame injury stories. I bet you even have some, Stark." Clint said casually, as if hoping to get a lame story out of him.

"If I do you're not hearing them," Tony read his mind.

As Clint removed some of the old shingles, he muttered, "Party pooper."

"Have you been to one of my parties?" Tony interjected while taking out a nail or two from the roof.

Clint simply shook his head as he grabbed a new shingle from the pile. "Yeah, I have no desire to come to one of your parties."

"Well then, I'd say you're the party pooper then," Tony mocked.

As they fixed the roof, being extra careful not to slip off of it as per Laura's instructions, Clint made sure to keep one eye out for the deer couple. He wanted to make sure nothing had happened to them to make them leave the fawn alone.

It wasn't long before he let out a small breath of relief as he noticed the two adult deer wander out of the woods and towards the tractor where they stashed their kid. Clint put his hammer down and knelt properly on the roof as he looked out at them, shielding his eyes from the blinding afternoon light.

Tony didn't notice Clint stopped working at first, but when he did he followed his eyes to see what he was looking at. "Are those the parents?"

"Yeah," Clint simply said as he watched the mother coax the fawn out from hiding while the father seemed to stand watch. "That's Ivy and Bucky."

"Bucky?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "You named the buck after the Star-Spangled Man's 'BFF' that went rouge?"

"It was the kids' idea. They don't know that about him, they just know he was Cap's childhood friend from the war days. They wanted to commemorate him in a way," Clint said as they watched Ash jump out from under the tractor to greet his parents.

"How does Cap like that name?" Tony asked, honestly curious as it was no secret that the childhood friend was a touchy subject.

Clint thought for a moment. "He surprisingly liked it. I think it's mainly because the kids thought of it and they're starting to grow on him. If it was anyone else who named them, I think he would have a different reaction."

Tony nodded in understanding as they watched the deer family wander back to the edge of the forest, soon disappearing within the cover of the bushes and trees.

"Maybe the kids will grow on you too, Stark." Clint smirked at his friend on the roof. He knew the kids will grow on him soon enough, they always managed to grow on even the toughest of people. If Natasha and Fury managed to enjoy being in their company, Tony could enjoy being with them too.

"We'll have to see, Robin." Tony said as he still wasn't too comfortable around Clint's kids, but he had to admit that he didn't dislike being around them. But he honestly had no idea if they would actually get to him since dealing with kids wasn't his strong suit. They would both have to see what happens.

Tony picked up his tools again with another shingle in hand. "So, are you going to stare out at the forest all day or get back to work?"

* * *

 **Special thanks to Katie MacAlpine for reading, reviewing, and requesting this chapter of Tony being introduced to the deer family:) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Katie, and I hope it was worth the wait!**

 **Remember everyone, I'm always open for chapter requests!:)**


	15. Avengers Potluck

"See, the dining room does come in handy, Clint." Laura said as the two of them worked on setting up the long dining room table.

"Yeah, but how often do we use it? I say about twice a year. That makes it pretty pointless in my book when you could be using it as say... an office every day." Clint replied as they smoothed out the tablecloth and began arranging the plates and silverware on top.

"But aren't you glad we have it for occasions like this? There's no way all your co-workers would fit at the kitchen table. At least this one fits them all," Laura said, trying to convince Clint that the dining room was still useful. She wasn't sure if she wanted to give it up just yet, getting a new office instead was still up for debate.

Clint only shrugged. "Just pull out a few foldable tables, put table cloths over them, and set them out on the porch for a nice summer dinner. Easy fix with no dining room included."

Laura simply rolled her eyes and didn't bother trying to convince him any longer. She knew how stubborn he was and they would continue this argument for days if it didn't end.

As the two finished setting up the many spots, they were surprised they had enough room to fit in all of their guests. Looking at the table with a deep breath, Laura shook her head nervously. "There's a whole lot of people coming over for dinner. We've never had _this_ many..."

Clint walked up behind her, putting his arms around his wife's stomach as he pulled her close. Laura held onto the arms in front of her as she leaned her back into the comfort of her husband's embrace.

If Laura was taller, Clint would have kissed her neck, but because of their significant height difference he settled for the top of her head. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. They'll have a great time and they promised to leave any quarrels outside of the house."

Smiling at Clint's attempt to ease her worries, she pulled his arms closer. This dinner may be stressful with so many guests to please, but she could tell it will still be nice to catch up with friends.

They would have stayed in each other's embrace forever, if it weren't for Natasha barging in on them and ruining their moment. "So that's what's taking so long…" She smirked. "Once you two love birds are done, we could use some more hands in the kitchen before the rest of the company starts arriving."

Laura shook her head, but a smile was still on her face as Natasha walked back out. "We can never get privacy in this house," she said as they pulled away to give each other a short but proper kiss. "Always interrupted by the kids."

"Well, maybe we should just run an orphanage. 'The Home For Immature Avengers,'" Clint chuckled at the thought. He knew that they were all like kids in some ways, its what kept them sane in this crazy job.

"It has a ring to it, but unless you make the house two times bigger we won't fit them all long term." She said as she took the logical reasoning behind the idea, even though they were both joking around.

Clint shrugged as the two broke away from each other's arms and headed back to the kitchen. "Well, it's a work in progress."

When they did make it back to the kitchen, they found many hands helping out with the meal. It was almost like an Avengers potluck as they were stationed all around the kitchen counters putting together food from all over the world.

Wanda was working on the pot of soup which was a popular recipe in Sokovia. She was teaching Lila how to make it as the short kid stood on a stool next to her, and Wanda let her add ingredients while Wanda occasionally tasted it to add more spices.

Natasha was making Pirozhki with Cooper, who had helped her make it once before and she was secretly testing how much he remembered. Pirozhki was one of the spy's favorite Russian dishes. It was a pastry dough with a filling of either a sweet fruit or meat and veggies to make a small handheld dessert or dinner. The ones she were making today were being stuffed with some seasoned and softened cabbage.

Sam even managed to make it to today's dinner and was cooking up something, but nobody knew what it was. It was some form of a rice dish, but he was keeping it a secret for now as he worked next to Wanda at the stove with his own pot and frying pan.

But one of the most surprising people to be cooking was Tony Stark, who was keeping a close eye on the oven so his dessert of an apple crumble wouldn't burn. He didn't cook often, but today it seemed like he wanted to join in on the potluck.

And if someone were to look outside, they could even see Captain America in his full American glory, grilling up various meats in the backyard. He wanted to add something to this nearly Fourth of July meal, so he decided to stick with the American classics of steaks, burgers, and hot dogs. Rhodey was also out there helping the Captain as they laughed and made conversation.

Laura smiled as she walked back into the work station observing all this. She couldn't help but be relieved she had friends to take some of the work weight of this enormous event off her shoulders.

When she and Clint invited all the Avengers over for dinner, she really didn't expect that all of them would be able to make it. Especially Rhodey and Sam because everyone assumed they would have preset plans with their military pals. Clint found out they did, but it just so happened to not fall on this particular day, since this was a few days after the actual holiday.

Most of the gang were here, the original Avengers team and even the new recruits, the only two missing being Bruce and Thor. Bruce disappeared after the battle in Sokovia and no one had seen him since, while Thor was who-knows-where in Asgard. There was no way to contact those two to extend their dinner invitation.

But everyone else managed to come visit, including Vision. But since he couldn't partake in the actual eating of the dinner, Clint had a feeling that Wanda managed to convince him to come because she wanted the family to meet him properly.

"So what do you need our help with, Tasha? You guys look pretty set to go in here." Clint noted as they were all engaged in making their own dishes and didn't seem to need help.

Natasha was arranging her mini pies on a tray with Cooper so she could put them in the oven when there was room. "First of all, you better check on your dish Clint, and second, we need extra hands to put the two salads together."

"I'll get started on the salads," Laura nodded and went to gather the ingredients from the fridge, leaving Clint to check on his own dish that shared the oven with Tony's.

"How's my child?" Clint said as he looked through the oven door, checking to make sure it didn't burn.

Tony looked at his watch. "Yours should be ready in just about… Now."

Putting oven mitts on, Clint opened up the heatwave of an oven and pulled out his flat dish of a six cheese pizza. It was cooked perfectly, the cheese browned to just the right amount. Taking a whiff of the heavenly smell, he carefully closed the oven once more to let Tony's dessert continue cooking.

"Perfect," Clint mumbled to himself as he walked over to let it cool on a rack they set up on the kitchen table. "I may not be able to cook much of anything, but no one can beat this dish."

"You sure about that, Flightless?" Sam said over his shoulder as he sauteed his shredded vegetables. "My dish will have you all on your knees."

"You wish, veteran," Tony said as he kept an eye on his watch. "My apple crumble is by far the most crumblest."

"You mean _my_ apple crumble," Pepper Potts said from the living room. She managed to come by with Tony since she properly wanted to meet the Barton family she'd heard so much about. She especially wanted to meet baby Nathaniel, who she was with right now. "It's my recipe you're using. You can only take… Twelve percent of the credit."

Everyone heard Tony groan in annoyance. "You still won't let that go, will you?" He mumbled as if they were referring to an inside joke that no one but the two were aware of.

Clint simply smiled as he began helping Laura wash and cut the fruit and veggies for the salads. It was good to be back with all his friends and his family again, and he was glad that he didn't have to keep the people he loved apart in two completely separate lives, he was glad to have both of his lives intertwine every now and again.

He couldn't help but smile further at Pepper playing with baby Nate on a blanket in the living room. She tickled the small child with his favorite teddy bear which caused him to laugh uncontrollably. Clint could tell Pepper loved being around children, and that was likely the main reason she wanted to stop by with Tony.

Clint couldn't help but notice Vision near the two on the floor. He simply stood and observed the child, like he was trying to decipher a puzzle. When Nate started biting a plastic toy with his none existent teeth, he glanced up at the colorful guy. Vision gave the kid an awkward smile, unsure of how to interact with the small human that was nearly eating the toy. Nate simply smiled back with a laugh and turned his short attention span back to Pepper.

Smiling at the sight, Clint went back to his task at hand. But not even five minutes went by before Vision spoke up while he looked out the open window, "Mr. and Mrs. Barton, a car is coming into close proximity to your household."

"That should be the rest of the guests," Natasha said as she put her two trays into the oven, getting glares from Tony as he kept close watch of his dessert. He wanted to make sure his master spy friend wouldn't mess with his cooking creation.

"Wait," Sam said as he started combining some of his unknown ingredients with spices. "I thought we were all here? Who else did you invite?"

"You'll see, Mr. Secrets," Clint smirked while looking down at his hands covered with fruit juices.

As if reading his mind, Wanda said, "Why don't you let them in, Vis?"

Nodding, Vision made his way towards the door and Pepper made sure that it really _was_ people they knew and not complete strangers who would freak out by seeing a colorful android in the doorway. As three people stepped out of the now parked car, she smiled and gave Vision the silent okay to let them in.

Nobody but the two Bartons and Natasha knew the others were swinging by, so it took the other Avengers and kids off guard when they heard the booming voice of Nick Fury walking towards the kitchen. "Are these so called 'teammates' actually working as a team to make this meal? I knew I had to see it for myself."

The kids instantly looked at each other with the largest grins on their faces, leaving their posts without warning as they ran up to hug Uncle Nick with a shout.

"Oh gosh," Tony said as he turned to see if his ears were fooling him. "You actually invited the boss to dinner, Barton?"

Nick Fury stood at the edge of the kitchen with two small children hugging each side of him. He seemed unfazed by them latching onto him, simply ruffling their hair as opposed to giving a hug. He rarely gave hugs.

But the two people that came into eye range next were even more of a surprise. They saw Maria Hill and Sharon Carter walk into the already crowded kitchen.

"Woah, you just invited everyone, didn't you? I thought we were the only ones who knew about your super secret family? Anyone else stopping by we should know about?" Tony commented.

"No, this is basically it. All who know are here," Clint said as he mixed together the fruit salad.

While Laura worked on the veggie salad, she smiled at the three newcomers. "I'm glad you could make it Nick, Sharon, Maria."

"It's great to see you again too. This guy finally gave us a day off for once in our lives," Maria smiled as she referred to the unamused Fury standing next to her.

As all of them continued to catch up, it wasn't long before they heard the back door open and close again. Steve and Rhodey walked in with their plates full of grilled goods and their mouths fell open for only a second in response to seeing the three people they never expected to see today.

"So that's who owns the mysterious black tinted car," Rhodey said as Laura directed the two to put their dishes on the dining room table.

Steve glanced over at Sharon after doing so. "I didn't know you knew the Barton's, Sharon."

She simply shrugged. "We've been on missions here and there."

"She's one of Shield's top and most trusted agents, of course I'd know her," Clint said as if it was obvious. When he finished up the salad, he prepared to put that and his pizza in the next room over.

She was flattered by the comment but simply joked instead. "Wish I could say the same for you."

Clint simply rolled his eyes at his friend while the three newcomers began helping. They helped finish dinner where they could and socialized with the others in the living room when the kitchen got too crowded.

It still took some time before everyone's dishes were done, but as soon as they were all ready, dinner commenced. They managed to squeeze in all the people at the dining room table with even a little arm room to spare. It was a rather mixed bunch of people about to eat a meal together, kids, superhumans, rich folk, an android, master spies, it would prove to be a unique meal if anything.

And the dishes they all prepared were just as diverse as the people. From the classic American barbecue to whatever secret dish Sam created, their taste buds may just overload today.

"So Sam," Clint asked, too curious to hold off his question any longer as they were all passing around the food and taking what they pleased. "What is your dish anyway?"

"Kabuli Pilau," He replied as he took a large helping of his own dish with a smile. "It's from Afghanistan. My team and I were stationed in a small town there for months on end. While we were there, we found an excellent stand that made this dish of rice, veggies, raisins, lamb, and well, everything that makes a meal good. This small kitchen also had some really nice owners and they eventually taught us how to make the dish ourselves, since we became regular customers. I highly recommend you all try it, your mouth will thank you."

"I don't think you'll let any of us get away with _not_ trying some," Steve said as his friend passed him the dish. Sam simply smirked in response, clearly agreeing with the Captain.

"What about your dish, Natasha?" Maria Hill asked as she examined the round pastry in front of her before passing the basket over to Sharon to take one. "What's in this?"

"Cooked cabbage and spices," She said. "It's called Pirozhki, it's basically a small pie that can be stuffed with anything. This is one of my personal favorite Russian dishes, only second to the apple stuffed Pirozhki."

"How'd you learn to make it though? I would imagine you wouldn't have much down time to experiment with recipies with your crazy life," Pepper asked.

"Oh, you aren't going to get out of telling this story, Tasha." Clint interrupted as his friend simply rolled her eyes. "I was there when it all went down."

Everyone could hear Fury sigh at the end of the table. "Why do I have the feeling this happened while you two were on duty?"

"Blame Tasha, not me." Clint defended himself, even if he knew he was an accomplice.

With a smile, Natasha summarize the events of the past. "We may have just finished a mission in Russia, Barton and I deciding to grab something to eat at a cafe I knew. I've been to that cafe before, whenever I'm in the area I make note to stop by and grab their apple Pirozhki. I may have convinced Clint that it was one of the best recipes ever, and I _may_ have convinced him to help me get that recipe. We may or may not have broken into the cafe at nightfall and steal it…"

They could all hear Fury's mental facepalm as he glared at his employees. He gave another sigh as he passed the hot dogs onto Hill. "At least now I know why you come back late from missions in Russian territory. Remind me Hill to never send these two there again, we don't want them breaking into a cafe for an award winning cup of coffee next."

"It's been noted, sir," She smiled, wanting to break into a laugh right then and there, but after years of keeping her composure for Fury, she managed to hold the urge back.

"What were you and Lila cooking up, Wanda?" Laura said to change the subject. She wanted to avoid Nick imploding from annoyance at her idiot husband and his friend.

"It's called Paprikash, right?" Lila asked excitedly as she looked over at her older sister to see if she pronounced it right.

Nodding, Wanda replied, "Paprikash soup. It stems from Chicken Paprikash which is a popular Hungarian food, but Sokovians adopted the similar ingredients and spices and instead of smothering it over chicken, we made it into a soup. This specific recipe was handed down through generations of my family," She said, purposely leaving out the bit that she would always make it with her brother.

"Well, I'll trust it's good if it is a family recipe," Tony piped in as he was currently taking a helping of the red liquid.

They all continued to pass around the food and joke among themselves, but before they could dig in, Clint announced that it was tradition to say grace. Wanda had to briefly explain the act to the very confused Vision next to her, but once it was all said and done they dug into their mismatched meal.

It was delicious, to say the least. The variety of food from all over the world was amazing in their own ways with their wild combinations of food and unique tastes.

During their feast, the kids talked loudly as they sat next to each other between Clint and Wanda. Laura was at the end of the table with Nate in a high chair. He wasn't really eating the food because he was mainly there so he wouldn't get lonely while they ate. Pepper sat on the other side of the child and the two women talked a lot while they ate and played with the baby. Tony couldn't help but also steal a few laughs from the child, warming up to the family even more with each visit he made. Steve sat next to Sam and Sharon, and he seemed to talk a lot to Sharon throughout the dinner while Sam talked to Rhodey as they made jokes and talked about their military experiences. Fury was near Natasha and Maria, often talking to them about work since he never actually took days off. He would always be working one way or another.

It took a long time before they all finished their meal, but after dinner the men took it upon themselves to be part of the clean up crew. There were some groans as some clearly didn't want to, but in the end they all decided they might as well give the tired Laura a break from hosting the large event. That left all the women on the porch, taking this time to get to know each other over coffee and tea.

Out of all the people visiting, Wanda was the most anxious about this whole event. She was the youngest team member at seventeen and found it hard to talk to the adults sometimes. She also didn't know some of the guests well, specifically Fury, Hill, and Carter. She had only met Fury on official business where he was being intimidating as he gave orders or ran a meeting. The other two women, she had never even met before this day which made every conversation a bit awkward with them.

Wanda felt like she didn't quite belong with this group of proper super people. She was slowly becoming friends with her team, but she wasn't perfect at getting along with them and she couldn't help but feel weird surrounded by all these people she only half knew. It's only been five months since they met, and she couldn't help but still hold back from them.

Wanda brought her cup of tea to her lips, slowly drinking the warm liquid as she stared out at the farm in the late day sun. The women next to her were making conversation, but she found it hard to join in so she instead just let her mind wander as she lightly rocked on the porch swing.

She was knocked out of her thoughts when she heard, "What do you say, Wanda?"

"Hmm?" She asked with a mouthful of tea as confusion crossed her face.

Wanda rested the cup in her lap as Natasha looked down at Nate in her own, "Do you agree with us. Are the guys complete idiots?"

"You know we can hear you," Clint shouted from the kitchen through the clang of dishes. The windows were wide open so even though they were out on the porch, the kitchen was close enough to hear the conversations happening on both ends.

Wanda smiled. "Well if they thought we couldn't hear each other... Then yeah, they're complete idiots."

"Hey," Clint complained as he washed the dishes with his teammates next to him. He knew their teasing was all in good fun though, so he simply smiled to himself and continued his task at hand.

"Well, I'm liking you already, Wanda." Hill said and lean forward from her patio chair to hold out her hand. "We never officially met before tonight, so it's nice to finally meet you."

Wanda smiled and shook her hand, followed by Carter giving a wave from across the porch from where she sat. "Same here. It's nice to see more sensible women joining our ranks."

"It's nice to meet you guys too, Ms. Hill and Carter," Wanda said, not sure if she should use last names or first names since they technically were co-workers and they were clearly ranked higher than her.

Carter gave a dismissive wave as she replied, "No need for formalities here, it's just Sharon."

Nodding and looking to Hill, she agreed while taking a sip of her coffee. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure the only person you need to be formal around after office hours is Fury. He's the head boss and it's best to always remind him of that to fulfill his male ego. Unless you're the kids or Mrs. Barton, it's best to always address him as 'boss,' 'sir,' or 'Fury sir.'" Maria lightly joked, even if she was also being a bit serious. It was rare for people to refer to the boss by his first name.

Catching onto the serious and joking conotations, Wanda replied, "I'll keep that in mind."

"I get the perks since he's not my employer," Laura smiled as she looked at Nate laughing in Natasha's lap. "They don't outweigh the worry the job puts us through, though."

"And that's why you're one freaking strong lady," Maria said as she felt the warmth of the coffee mug in her hand. "You too, Pepper."

Pepper let out a laugh. "Thanks, I guess we have to be to deal with our idiots. They're the worst. I swear Tony almost kills himself on purpose."

This time Laura gave a small laugh. "Talk to Clint about that. He literally keeps a bucket full of casts from all the times he's gotten himself injured."

"Why does he have a bucket of casts?" Wanda couldn't help but ask. She found it rather odd to keep them around when they had no purpose anymore.

Lila came out of the kitchen a second later and ran towards the window with an answer. "He keeps them because we make them look cool!"

"How do you mean?" Wanda smiled as Lila leaned on the window ledge looking at the others through the screen. Wanda couldn't help but notice behind her that the men were finishing up and trickling out of the kitchen, some already making their way to the porch.

"Whenever dad gets a new cast, we color it," She tried to explain. "We like to draw on it and we make it look awesome."

"Blank casts are tiresome to look at. So white, it's like a hospital wall," Clint commented as he walked out of the house, closing the screen door behind him. "If a cast is going to be on me for weeks at a time, it's significantly better to have something nicer to look at. And after they doodle on them, they're way too cool to throw out."

"I never took you as a sentimental guy, Flightless," Sam commented with sarcasm in his voice as he helped gather some more patio chairs. Clint was going to let the wet towel in his hand dry in the summer heat, but no one was surprised when he threw it at Sam's face instead.

Before Clint could make a sassy response back, Laura said, "He's very sentimental."

Rolling his eyes, Clint replied, "Do you guys ever _not_ poke fun at me?" Before anyone else could respond, he already knew the answer himself. "Don't answer that."

As laughter spread throughout the porch and the men started joining in on the girls conversation, over time the one large conversation split up into multiple smaller ones. Still feeling like she didn't belong, Wanda eventually walked back inside to find Lila and Cooper. She felt significantly more comfortable messing around with the kids as opposed to the adults since she's gotten to know them so well these past months.

She was surprised to see Vision already in the living room talking to the kids. As she moved to sit next to Lila on the couch, Wanda smiled as she realized Vision was actually holding a conversation well. The two were rather fascinated by Vision, and Wanda could tell Vision was equally as fascinated by the kids. It was his first interaction ever with small humans and he may not have known how to interact with them properly, but over the course of their conversation of asking each other questions, he started to get the hang of it.

Vision was surprised that these young people with developing brains were asking intelligent questions. They asked about the stone in his head and what it did, they asked if he had any powers like the Avengers, they asked if he considered himself more human or robot, and many more.

"So do you learn like we do? Or does information just download into you like a computer?" Cooper asked, the curiosity evident on his face.

"Well, a little bit of both actually," Vision replied. "Some information I just know, almost like it was downloaded straight into my head, but often I have to learn in a similar manner as you. I have to observe what I see and hear and actually put it into practice. Such as communicating, I don't understand a lot of pop culture terms and I have to learn about it. Or changing my appearance, that takes practice and I'm still trying to get the hang of it."

"You can change your appearance? Like with your mind?" Lila asked excitedly. Wanda couldn't help but smile at her fascination.

"Yes. These clothes I'm wearing aren't made out of the material you wear. It's my synthetic skin formed to look like clothes." Vision explained and the kids eyes just lit up as they muttered, 'awesome,' under their breaths.

"Wait," Cooper paused, "Does that mean you can change your face? Like to disguise yourself as a human?"

Vision took a moment to think about that. It was a rather good question. "I suppose so. I've never actually tried it, but I would assume with practice I can."

"Practice makes perfect," Fury interrupted their conversation on his way back from the bathroom. He leaned forwards on the backing of a chair Cooper occupied, making the kid twist his head to see the man with a smirk on his face. "That will likely come in handy on future missions, so if I were you I'd work on that. Consider it homework."

Vision simply nodding in response as he made a mental note of that.

"So what are you kids up to?" He asked Cooper and Lila. "Between you and me I'm getting a bit sick of adult conversations." He said with a wink at Cooper, which could easily be taken as a blink since he only had one eye to do it with.

"We're asking Vision about all his powers," Lila said just as excitedly as she was asking questions before.

"I'm sure that made for some interesting conversation. I honestly have no clue what that guy is fully capable of," Fury replied as he looked to address Vision. "And don't tell me because I don't think I want to know. I'm supposed to be the man with eyes everywhere, I don't want to know if you have eyes everywhere else."

"Yes sir," Vision replied with a raised eyebrow, not really sure what he meant by that but he learned to just roll with some of the things he was confused about. Sometimes he discovered it was better not to ask.

"Since my eye is everywhere, I've noticed your training sessions are going well," Fury said, almost like he wanted one of them to continue his train of thought from there.

Feeling as if she should say something before the silence got too awkward, Wanda scratched the back of her neck as she said, "You sit in on training sessions?"

"From time to time," Fury commented. "I have to keep track of my agent's progress after all. Gotta make sure they're not sleeping on the job."

Wanda couldn't help but smirk as he said that. "I think the only one who sleeps on the job is Clint."

"Hey, what are you saying about me?" Clint shouted from his spot in front of the porch window as he heard his name, interrupting the conversation he was having outside in the process.

"I thought you were deaf?" Fury said, unsurprised Clint heard him. There had been many instances on the job where he listened in to conversations he had with other agents. It got so bad that he'd sometimes have to order Clint to the other side of the base to make sure he didn't listen in.

"Not quite. Now what were you saying about me?"

"I'm saying you need to get back to work. Your leave is over in a month, don't forget." Fury reminded him. He did need Barton back in the field if he was being honest with himself, missions would go over a lot smoother with him back on the team.

Clint simply rolled his eyes at his boss. "Yes sir," he said before getting back to his own conversation.

"I swear that guy only hears what he wants to hear," Fury sighed.

Wanda let out a little laugh. "Disobeys orders often?"

"More than you know," he simply responded.

As Wanda continued to make slightly awkward conversation with Nick Fury, it didn't take long before the awkwardness dissipated. They got to know each other more, not just as boss and employee, but as if they were long time friends catching up. For some reason, Wanda started to feel comfortable around him and it felt like she wasn't talking to her boss. She never expected that behind Fury's harsh exterior he was actually a nice guy when he wasn't trying to be intimidating.

Wanda couldn't help but smile as she finally felt that maybe, just maybe, she did belong with this odd group of people...

* * *

 **Special thanks to Agentwalkoff who requested this chapter of the team having dinner at the Barton farm and Wanda meeting Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Sharon Carter. It took extra time to write, but I hope that you enjoyed how I put together this chapter, Agentwalkoff!:D **


	16. Late Nights

Clint was a light sleeper, but even the heaviest sleeper could be awaken by Nathaniel's crying in the next room over.

Clint couldn't help but groan from being woken up again. Nate's been crying in the middle of the night less often these past few weeks, but occasionally there was a rough night or two. And with rough nights came long nights. And sleepless nights...

Laying on his back in the comfort of the bed, Clint rubbed his face without opening his eyes. He wished the crying would just stop on its own so he could fall back asleep, but quickly let out a sigh as it only continued in his hesitance to move.

He felt movement next to him, so he opened his eyes to see Laura starting to get out of bed looking worse than Clint felt. She's had trouble sleeping properly these past few days, and Nathaniel wasn't helping her situation.

Before she could fully get up, he lazily reached a hand over to her, letting it fall gently onto her forearm.

"I'll see what's wrong," he simply said before sleepily trying to sit up.

Clint saw the look on his wife's face. He could tell she wanted to say, ' _no, I've got it,'_ but her body seemed to protest from its lack of energy. Instead doing what she wanted to, she simply nodded and listened to her body for once. Closing her eyes again, she tried to get herself situated back into sleeping.

He was glad she didn't protest, he could tell she needed the rest more than he did right now. The kids and the recent Avengers dinner had her completely run down and it was showing.

Finally, Clint tugged himself out of bed and headed towards the crying child's room. "I'm coming, Nate. I'm coming," Clint mumbled as he rubbed his drooping eyelids and stumbled to turn on the mellow glow of the lamp.

Once he saw the hysterically squirming child in the crib, Clint could only guess what set him off. Something clearly upset him, but Clint wasn't a mind reader.

"Hey, hey," he whispered as he carefully picked up the upset baby. "Shhh… Shhh…" Clint cooed as he lightly bounced Nate up and down in his secure hold, keeping his son close to his own warmth. The child continued to squirm and cry, even in his father's arms, but eventually his tiny head rested upon Clint's chest. Nate clearly wanted the comfort of his father, even if he was being stubborn about it.

Clint couldn't help but frown as his son cried, hearing it always broke his heart. Every time. But whenever he heard Nate's laughter or saw his smile, it always seemed to mend it back up so his heart was as good as new. Whether it was with Nate, Lila, or Cooper, it was one of the constants in his life that happened every time.

Every time.

He continued to gently shush the baby, hoping to calm him at least a little. Clint noted that he wasn't crying from hunger or needing a diaper change. This was just going to be one of those nights where he would never know what bothered his son to the point of tears, he just had to be with him and calm him through it.

Clint started slowly pacing around the nursery, still bouncing Nathaniel lightly in his arms as he shushed in a soothing tone. His crying quieted down a bit, but it didn't stop as the child tightly grabbed hold of the grey fabric of Clint's t-shirt in its fit. Even if he didn't stop crying, at least it wasn't nearly as loud as before and whoever was awoken could get more rest.

Passing by the wooden rocking chair while on his second round pacing across the room, Clint looked down at Nathaniel in his arms. He briefly glanced up at his father before resting his head against his chest like before, crying ever continuing. "It's okay, Nate," Clint murmured under his breath. "You're okay, Nate. Dadda's here."

When he passed by the crib again, he noticed the brown teddy bear that Nathaniel had started growing attached to. Picking the fuzzy bear up while still holding Nate in one arm, Clint smiled as he put it in his line of vision. He shook it a little in front of Nate's face, "Hey, look at this. Is that your teddy?"

Nate's crying turned into sad whimpers as he looked at the bear for a moment, as if deciding if it was indeed his favorite teddy and if he wanted it or not. Eventually, he seemed to make up his mind as he started reaching out towards the stuffed animal in upset babbles, grabbing hold of its nose and pulling it closer to him. Clint still had a hold of the bear to make sure he didn't drop it out of the loose grip, but he followed Nate's movements. The child held it close to him and his father's chest, still having hold of its nose as he continued to quietly cry.

"It's a great bear," Clint smiled while fixing how Nate sat in his arms. "He's adorable. Just like you."

Nathaniel seemed to ignore Clint's comment however as he focused his attention on the bear, resting his tiny chin on the bear's head and seeing some tears fall onto the fur.

Clint continued pacing back and forth across the room for minutes on end, hoping the child wouldn't burst out into loud cries again as he seemed on the verge of doing so multiple times. Whenever that possibility neared, Clint gingerly shushed again, hoping the soft sound would calm him. It seemed to work as over time, Nate's whimpers quieted and his crying finally seemed to end.

Clint kissed the top of Nate's head, the soft lamp light illuminating the features of the room. It was a simple room, having the necessities of a changing station, crib, storage cabinets, and a rocking chair. There wasn't much in terms of decoration because he and Laura wanted to wait until the child was older to decorate properly, but there were scattered toys, photos, and trinkets around a bookcase and the room.

Still bouncing the calming down Nate in his arms, Clint moved to sit on the homemade rocking chair, him being the one who made it. When he was a kid in the circus, Clint had always carved little things out of small pieces of wood with a knife. It was some of the only belongings he had since he could afford finding large enough sticks to use. Sticks could be found nearly anywhere, after all. But when he later married Laura and they bought this farm, he was finally able to experiment with larger wood works. It was relaxing for him to be in the barn and figure out how to create wooden objects out of memories.

He still remembered making this chair after they discovered Laura was pregnant with Cooper. It was a memory he was happy to remember whenever he sat in this chair, along with the many memories that came from simply using it throughout the years with Lila and now, Nathaniel.

Taking a seat on the cushion that rested upon the polished hardwood, Clint noted how the baby started to squirm again. Nate shifted until he was in a more comfortable position in his father's embrace, continuing to lean his body against Clint's chest and hold the bear close.

As the two rocked steadily back and forth in the chair, Clint started lightly humming a random tune to fill the silence in the room. The song currently stuck in his head was _Time in a Bottle_ by Jim Croce, and he couldn't resist the urge of quietly singing the lyrics as the two sat with each other.

Clint loved to sing, but didn't get to as often as he liked. The only times he did was with his family as he sang a lullaby to help Lila or Cooper sleep, or sing with Laura as she accompanied him on the piano. Through music he has made some strong family memories, and Clint couldn't help but smile as he thought about them. Even if Clint was tired from being woken up at three in the morning, he couldn't help but smile as he held his son and thought of those memories.

His family has grown so much over the years. He went from having almost nothing, to more than he could have ever imagined. Sure, the road to get here was tougher than he could have ever imagined, but in the end it was worth it to hold his children and wife in his loving arms.

He looked back down at Nathaniel, who was still nowhere near willing to go back to sleep. Nate only made incoherent sounds as Clint held him closer.

"It's going to be a long night," he muttered through his grin. "Won't it Nathaniel?"

The child simply smiled up at his father, raising the bear up in his arms closer to Clint's face, almost as if he was showing it off to him. Clint's grin simply grew as he touched the bear's nose. "You're right, this bear _is_ great. He does need to be shown off more."

After he lightly tapped the bear's nose, Clint then did the same with his son's nose, causing the kid to laugh a little.

' _Every time,'_ Clint thought to himself as his heart melted once again from hearing the child's joy.

It may be a long night, but it will be a night well spent.


	17. Tony's Excuses

Maybe he was making excuses to come visit now... He wasn't sure.

Well, that was a complete lie. He _was_ making excuses, he was sure of that. Tony just despised going to the same, boring, yearly corporation convention.

This convention included the most famous businessmen going to Washington, D.C. to discuss improvements for their 'already successful businesses' in order to make more millions off of the common people. And Tony hated having to go to it every year. He'd grown to hate all the swindlers there and hated doing nothing but talk around a table for three days straight. So this year, he made an excuse.

That's what led him back to the Barton farm.

Still, this trip wasn't all fun in games. He actually had to get some work done too. Stark Industries never stopped, and if he was staying with the Barton's for three days, Tony couldn't just do nothing. He'd go insane.

Currently, Tony was working at the Barton's kitchen table on his laptop. He was putting new design plans in order, communicating with Pepper, and basically doing whatever she asked to help her in running the business from his current location in Iowa.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he looked back at the list of duties Pepper expected him to get done. He had a pretty good start on it, but he wasn't expecting to be suddenly knocked out of his train of thought by a loud voice.

"Tony! Tony! Did you see this?" Lila shouted as she ran up to the billionaire with the Stark pad he let the kids borrow.

"What?" Tony coughed violently for a moment as their surprise nearly made him choke on his coffee. "What did I see?"

"This!" She excitedly said as she put the device on the table next to his work, Cooper only a few steps behind his sister. They seemed to have been watching a YouTube video since one was already up on the screen. Once they positioned it properly, she pressed play.

Tony wasn't sure what he was expecting to see on the screen, considering _kids_ were showing him a video, but when the video started playing he had to pick up the device to get a closer look at what he was seeing. As the thirty second video was now closer to his face, he couldn't help but have hundreds of questions run through his head.

Once the clip ended, Tony turned back to the wide eyed kids and asked, "How did you guys find this?"

"It just went viral," Cooper said before asking his own question. "Is it real? Or is it just one of those CGI things?"

"Well," Tony said as he pressed a few buttons on his Stark pad. "Let's find out…"

Pushing his computer out of the way, he stood the device back up on the kitchen table. The two kids watched in awe as Tony swiped the physical screen and made a holographic one appear on the table.

He couldn't help but smile as the kids mumbled under their breath, "cool."

"Friday…"

"Yes, sir?"

"Download this video and run it by a few things for me," Tony said as he typed on his holographic screen manually. "Authenticate this video, see if it was run through any editing programs."

"Yes, Mr. Stark," the artificial intelligence replied and instantly got to work.

As she did, Lila piped up in wonder, "How did you do that? With the screen? And the voice?"

Tony couldn't help but grin even wider. "I'm a genius, my tech is capable of many feats. I've designed all of it to have holographic screens because I, frankly, find them easier to use. The voice is the artificial intelligence I designed named Friday. She helps me stay connected from anywhere in the world. She can do almost anything and that comes in handy when we're trying to, you know, save the world."

"Can you show us how to use them, Tony?" Cooper asked in hopes he would be able to experiment with the cool new features they discovered.

Tony thought about it for a minute. He would love to show them how to use his tech, but he had a feeling he shouldn't let kids mess around with these advanced features too much. Who knew what trouble they could get into. So once again, he made an excuse. He should be good at excuses by now...

"Sorry kids, these features are strictly for work purposes."

Cooper frowned a bit in disappointment but Lila only narrowed her eyes at the billionaire. "But _you_ aren't using it for work right now…" She accused.

Before Tony could respond back to support his weak excuse, he was saved by the bell. "Sir, this video appears to be authentic. From my scans I can tell it didn't go through any editing program before going live onto the internet. It was a video simply filmed on an iPhone camera."

"So that means it's real? That guy really is doing that stuff and saving people?" Cooper asked as he referred to the video.

"Well," Tony started, thinking of possible explanations, "It could be all staged, we can't really know for sure…"

"But it _could_ be real?" Cooper asked again.

"There's that possibility," Tony said to give these kids some hope. They seemed genuinely excited by this video and he didn't want to ruin that for them since they didn't know what was going on for sure.

"If he is real, will he become an Avenger like you guys? He's like a superhero too," Lila said.

Before responding, Tony smiled. "Maybe. I'll keep tabs on this…" he glanced back at the video title to figure out what to call this potential hero. "Spider-Man... If he wants to keep helping people, then maybe he will one day join our ranks."

Before they could give their own answers to that, another voice interrupted their conversation. "Kids, don't bother Tony while he's working," Laura said from the next room over.

"No, it's fine," Tony smirked and whispered to the two kids. "You guys can bother me any time."

They smiled back as Laura walked into the kitchen a second later. "Still, it's almost time for bed. Finish up."

"Aww, just a few more minutes, mom." Cooper complained.

"Yeah, just a few more minutes," Tony joined in, much to the kids approval. They hoped they could finally win this battle of staying up a few extra minutes if they had Tony, an adult, on their side.

"You're as bad as Clint," She commented before narrowing her eyes at the three, trying to come to a conclusion. Finally with a sigh, she continued, "Fine, fifteen more minutes. That's it. But let Tony get back to work."

Satisfied with their partial compromise, Tony messed with the Stark pad for a moment to turn off the hologram and Friday before handing it back to the kids. He was glad he thought about putting a strong parental lock on his devices because he had a feeling the kids would spend the next fifteen minutes trying to get Friday to work.

As they ran off, technology in hand as they said their good nights to Tony, he turned back to Laura. "They're really liking that thing, want me to get you guys one?"

Laura waved a dismissive hand. "No, the children need lives outside of the internet too, having a computer for them to share is bad enough. They'd spend every minute on it if I didn't limit them."

"Only one computer to share and limiting their time on it? Man, you guys are living in the dark ages," Tony couldn't help but comment. He was constantly surrounded by technology, and it was nearly impossible for him to live without it.

She shrugged, "It's not that bad, it teaches them to get along with each other... or their privilege is taken away."

"Ahh you're one sneaky person, Mrs. Barton," Tony smirked.

"Laura," She corrected, even though she knew he purposely said that to mess with her. But after their short interaction, she left the room with a smile to let him get back to work.

When she did leave, Tony turned back to his computer, but didn't get back to work.

"Friday... Give me all the information you have on this video."

After a minute of her reading back her other findings from analyzing it, Tony stopped her as he finally heard something useful. "So wait, this happened in Queens, New York?"

"It appears so. The street signs and buildings in the area align with the city of Queens."

"Has there been any other news about this Spider dude? Check everywhere, see if there are other sightings or articles." Tony said and instantly a few articles popped onto his screen.

"There isn't much sir," Friday replied. "It seems he only started making appearances a few days ago."

"Any other videos?"

"Negative."

"Hmm," Tony couldn't help but wonder to himself as he sorted through the information he had. By what he could tell, this spider guy has made a number of appearances and all of them were to help people within the city. There were reports of robbers stuck in webbing or accidents being prevented by this guy, but only one person caught it on tape so far as he stopped a three thousand pound car from colliding with a bus.

Since these reports were so recent and have only happened within the span of this past week, it could all be an elaborate trick. It was hard to tell if people set it up since the video was blurry and they had little information. But it could be real. This guy could have some form of spider powers and may be out to do some good in the city they lived in.

But they could also be a potential threat with powers like that...

"Friday, keep an eye on this guy for me. Any new videos, news reports, or info mentioning a 'Spider-Man,' send it over in a nice and neat folder."

"Yes, Mr. Stark," the A.I. simply responded.

Leaning back in his chair before getting back to Pepper's work, Tony mumbled to himself, "Well _Spider-Man,_ you're officially on the Avenger's radar..."

* * *

 **This is a special chapter for Katie MacAlpine:) She didn't specifically request it but after reading some of her many comments, this idea just popped into my head. Thanks Katie for always supporting this story and even inspiring me! And since you seem to love Tony interacting with the kids, I decided to give you an extra chapter of that as a thank you:) I hope you enjoy it!**


	18. Fixing the Tractor

"Don't get the kids into trouble, Tony." Clint threatened as he made his way to the front door. "I'll be back before you know it and if I find you teaching them shenanigans, you can believe I'll think of a suitable payback."

"Stop ruffling your feathers, Hawk. Pepper's giving me the works anyway, she'll kill me if I take time to mess around," Tony replied from his spot on the couch, computer resting on his lap. "I'll keep them out of trouble, you can trust me," He said with a smirk to throw his friend off.

Clint in reply simply glared at Tony for a second, trying to figure out _why_ he was messing with him. Trying to figure out _what_ he was planning. Tony was always planning something...

After a silent minute, he eventually walked out of the house to run his errands in town. He wouldn't be able to find out his plan unless Tony wanted him to, so he might as well get down to business.

Clint would be gone for a few hours, and that was plenty of time for Tony to accomplish his plan.

However, he didn't move that plan forward until he heard the rumble of the beat up truck disappear in the distance. Even when it did, he waited a few minutes, just to be sure.

Finally, he stood up and placed his closed laptop on the coffee table. He _should_ be doing Peppers work, but he had to take some time for fun after all. Even if she did kill him later. He could pull an all nighter to make up for his missed work no problem.

As he grabbed his car keys, he heard the familiar voices of children. "What are you doing, Tony?"

He turned to face Cooper, Lila nearby. "It's a secret," He simply responded.

But his attempt to be discrete just made their eyes light up in excitement. He should have known that the mention of a secret was everyone's kryptonite. Everyone wanted to know what each other hid. What their secretes were.

"You can tell us the secret!" Lila bounced. "We won't tell anyone! Promise!"

Tony thought about it for a moment. If they really wanted it spoiled, he could spoil it for them. The surprise was for Clint, not the kids, and he'd be finished by the time Clint got back so their big mouths wouldn't let his secret slip.

"Well, if you insist," Tony started. "I was going to fix up your dad's tractor properly, but he doesn't know I'm doing it. That's the secret."

Tony didn't know what answer he expected, but the one he got was unexpected in his book. "Can we help?" Cooper asked, Lila agreeing right beside him.

"Yeah, I want to help surprise dad too," she explained to the billionaire who had his eyebrow raised. "He'd love that surprise!"

"Well…" He thought as he went over what he had to do. There would be some parts of his work that was potentially too dangerous for kids to help out with, since he was planning on doing a whole revamp, but there were some things they could do if they really wanted to help.

After thinking deeply, Tony finally replied, "You'll have to get permission from your mom first."

As soon as he said that, they pair bolted upstairs to find and ask Laura, who was busy with Nathaniel. Tony waited for a minute and just as he was about to head out, they sprinted back down the stairs. "She said we can help you!" Lila said as they ran over to the billionaire.

Nodding, he opened the door. "Well then, let's get to it. We only have a few hours."

And with that, they walked towards his convertible. Popping open the trunk, the kids leaned in to see what Tony was getting. They were greeted with various tools, miscellaneous parts, cleaning supplies, and more that stuffed this trunk to the brim. He surprised even himself when he managed to fit it all in at the tower.

"Wow, you brought a lot of stuff," Cooper commented. "Are we making a new tractor or something?"

Tony handed the kids a few light bags to help him carry into the barn. "Something like that. We're going to repair it back into its prime condition since that idiot won't get rid of the thing."

Tony would be lying if he said Laura didn't put him up to this. She was sick of Clint spending hours working on the tractor that constantly broke down, and since her attempts of trying to get him a new one failed, she asked if Tony could help fix it properly. Tony was glad to do it, he loved relaxing by fixing his retro cars into fresh factory condition, so a tractor wasn't much different. He could use some time to relax.

But now he had kids helping him… He didn't think about how that would affect his relaxation. He didn't want to turn them down though, Clint would probably kill him if he disappointed them.

But Tony pushed that thought aside. He'll just have to figure out how to enjoy this as they went along.

They set up in the barn, Tony hunting down the rest of the tools he'd need for his task of repairing the machine. On his tractor check a few weeks ago, he found a number if issues which Clint had yet to fix, according to Laura, so he felt like he had to do it himself. He hadn't been able to fix it properly the last few times he was here, but today would be different. He was going to complete this task once and for all.

Tony stood in front of the tractor, giving it another once over with crossed arms. He also had to decide what to do to keep the kids occupied while he did the heavy work. After a silent moment, he clapped his hands together and turned to face the two short people. "And you're _sure_ you want to help? It'll be a lot of hard work to get done before he's back."

Cooper and Lila simply nodded in agreement, smiles on their faces at the idea of surprising their father.

"Then let's get to it," Tony replied. "We gotta make this baby shine!"

And with that, the team of three were off on their mission before Clint got back from his errands. For Tony, it was a bit uncomfortable at first. He still didn't interact with the kids often and he had no idea what jobs to give them because he was the only one who knew how to patch up the machinery.

As he got an idea, he started them off with the task of cleaning and improving the outer appearance, since it had a lot to be desired. There was rust in various places, it had lost most of its color, and it was as dirty as the earth itself. He could have them work on cleaning and polishing the muddy thing so he could add personality to it later.

But as Tony started fixing the parts, Cooper seemed interested in trying to figure out what Tony was doing. He kept asking questions and eventually asked Tony if he could help him, leading to uncomfortable situation number two.

He didn't want to turn the curious kid down, he remembered being a dangerously curious kid himself, but he didn't know how to let the kid help. He always just automatically knew what he needed to do and it would be hard to explain to the kid what exactly that was. For a while, it was just Cooper awkwardly looking over the billionaire's shoulders as he buried himself in the parts of the tractor, asking for Cooper to hand him the occasional tool.

But the uncomfortable atmosphere didn't stick around forever. As the hours passed, he started figuring out how to explain what he was trying to accomplish as he replaced parts. He even went so far as to let Cooper try working the new parts himself. It was almost like Tony was giving a hands on lecture in mechanics, and he honestly didn't mind it.

Lila sometimes joined in on his lesson when she finished her main cleaning job, but she wasn't as interested and Tony found some other tasks for her to perform in the meantime.

But because he had kids constantly asking questions and he was basically teaching his own course, it slowed their progress. They were too invested in their tasks to hear the truck roll into the driveway outside the barn.

Clint had noticed the barn door was open when he got out of the drivers seat, so he decided to go investigate. He could have sworn all three of them jumped a foot in the air when he asked, "What are you guys doing?"

Tony had to hold himself back from swearing as he hit his head on the lid that concealed the tractor engine. Rubbing the back of his head as he finished up his immediate task, he turned to face Clint who stood in the doorway with his eyebrow raised high.

Before he could say anything, Lila awkwardly said, "Surprise…"

"Surprise for what?" Clint said as he looked at the tractor they were all gathered around. His eyebrow only raised higher as he noticed it looked… Different. It looked a lot cleaner than when he left it and that in itself was a surprise as he'd tried to spruce it up many times to no avail. "What did you do to my tractor?"

"It's a surprise," Tony quickly responded and started walking over to usher his friend outside. "You have to wait for the unveiling for answers. Now shoo, Legolas."

Clint was more confused than ever, but he put his hands up in defense as he was pushed out of the barn by Tony. Clint couldn't help but try to steal one last glance before Tony closed the door behind him.

As soon as it was shut, he speedily walked back over to the tractor. The kids had the look of disappointment apparent on their faces as Lila sadly said, "Now the surprise is ruined."

"No, it isn't." Tony stated with a smile as the two looked up at him in confusion. "He hasn't seen the best part," he smirked as he rummaged through one of his bags and pulled out some tarps and spray cans.

Smiles grew on all their long faces as Tony handed them some cans. "Now let's finish this. The biggest surprise has yet to come."

* * *

"Wow…"

That was all Clint could say as he looked at the basically new tractor ahead of him. The kids had excitedly dragged him out to the barn, and he assumed that his surprise was finished. It wasn't rocket science to conclude that the surprise was them fixing up his tractor, but he didn't expect them to go the whole mile and make it look brand new.

"Do you like it, daddy?" Lila asked as she still held her father's hand from leading him into the barn moments ago.

After his shocked moment, he simply looked at his daughter and scooped her up in his arms. Kissing her on the forehead he said, "It's beautiful! I absolutely love it."

She smiled and put her arms around her dad's neck as a hug, and Clint couldn't stop himself from pulling Cooper into a hug at his side, ruffling the boy's hair in the process.

Clint then looked up at the smirking Tony who simply responded, "I'll pass on the hug." Even though he knew Clint wasn't going to give him one anyway, he had to mess with his friends.

Rolling his eyes, Clint let himself ask, "So you guys helped Tony fix it up?"

"Yeah," Cooper said. "We wanted to help surprise you, but it was all Tony's idea. He did most of the work."

"Tony's idea? I didn't know he cared," Clint gave a smile to his friend as he set Lila down and started walking over to take a closer look at the tractor.

"Well I'm not completely to blame. Laura wanted me to do something so this thing didn't break down again," Tony said as he looked over at her. Laura was walking besides Clint because she also wanted to see the refurbished tractor. She initially came out to see her husband's face when they surprised him, but even she didn't know about Tony's plan to make it look brand new. In the end, she was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. "Just don't touch the paint job, it's not dry yet." He warned as they all gathered round to appreciate the handiwork.

With its bright red paint job, clean tires, and even a completely new seat that didn't have holes in it, it really did look brand new. If Clint hadn't walked in on the half finished project earlier, he would have thought they completely scrapped his baby and replaced it with a new one. But no, this was his same old tractor and he couldn't be happier. It held some great memories and he would have hated to see it go.

Clint had to resist the urge to open her up and see the new parts of the engine, but he couldn't do that without touching the paint. Instead, he just admired the mechanism from the outside appearance.

"I assume you basically replaced the engine bit by bit?" Clint said as he walked around the machine to take it in on all sides.

"You got that right," Tony replied as even he was admiring his own work. "It's as good as I could make it."

"I don't know what to say... This is great," Clint muttered before making eye contact with Tony. "Thanks everyone. Thanks Tony."

Tony would have made a sassy remark, but instead he simply nodded with a genuine smile. He'll let himself enjoy this one moment without his wit.

He couldn't lie, every so often he'd like to surprise his friends. Honestly, they all deserved it. Even if they didn't have their day jobs, they would have deserved a gift just for putting up with his mess of a self on a daily basis.

And Tony was always glad to let them know that through a surprise, even if Pepper would kill him later for ditching her work.

* * *

 **Special thanks to Katie MacAlpine** **who requested this chapter of Tony fixing up the tractor into fresh off the assembly line condition:) I hope you enjoyed it!**


	19. Pietro's Aftermath

**Rated T: Mentions of injuries, descriptions of trauma, mild language.**

* * *

 _Clint should have felt pain. He shouldn't be alive right now._

 _Why wasn't he?_

 _The bullets were headed straight for him. The aircraft was shooting at him and the young boy he protected in his arms. He should have been hit by something._

 _Shouldn't he?_

 _Something wasn't adding up…._

 _Frantically trying to find an answer, Clint spun his head around. He saw a bullet ridden car in front of him. It had shielded the two from the attack. It had saved their lives. But Clint didn't recall hiding behind it. He thought he was out in the open, not enough time to find cover as the bullets had already started flying._

 _What happened?_

 _Looking around further, Clint saw nothing to sort out his confusion. Clutching the boy tightly to his chest as he continued scanning for answers, he didn't look back down until he realized... Something was off with the load he held._

 _Clint's hands were wet._

 _Immediately looking down to see if the boy had been hit despite his efforts to protect him, he nearly dropped the kid when he discovered it wasn't the same one from earlier. Instead of having a dark brown head of hair, this kid had messy white._

 _He was holding Pietro._

 _Clint shook himself out of his shock and quickly scanned the child in his arms, finding the source of the liquid that seeped through his fingers. Pietro's body was ridden with bullet holes, just like the ones in the car that protected them, and his blood was quickly spilling out of his body onto Clint and the rubble covered road._

 _Gently placing the lifeless boy on the ground, Clint couldn't help but notice how cold the body felt, and how motionless it lay. Trying to push any thoughts of terror he had aside, he started checking for a pulse._

 _He couldn't hold back that terror for long because within seconds, he started panicking._

 _Pietro had no pulse._

" _No, no, no, no," Clint mumbled to himself as his mind raced to try and find a way to save him._

 _Should he risk CPR in this already broken body? Could he call Bruce? Should..._

 _Before he could finish his thoughts and take action, he nearly jumped backwards when he felt a hand tightly grip his forearm._

 _Looking to see who of his teammates the hand belonged to, he realized it was Pietro's. The dead boy stared directly into Clint's eyes as his head raised off the ground. Clint felt a shiver run through his whole body as he stared, wide eyed, at this kid he thought to be dead just seconds ago._

 _Pietro's voice was raspy as the kid spit at Clint,_ _harsh eyes seeming to stare into his soul._ " _You_ should _have seen that coming."_

 _Clint barely had time to catch the boy's head before it hit the sharp rocks beneath him. The body fell limp once again. The boy's neck was ice cold as his eyes glazed over, never breaking their accusing gaze from Clint's own wide stare._

 _He may have only been supporting the boy's head, but he couldn't help but feel as if it weighed a thousand extra pounds in his arms. The weight of just that was too much and made his shaking hands give way beneath him, relentlessly dropping the rest of Pietro's body to the floor like a rag doll._

 _No matter how badly he wanted to turn away from the kid he killed, he couldn't. He could only stare at the boy with the same blank stare he gave him. No matter what, Cint would never be free of the kid's last gaze._

 _Kneeling on the ridged rocks, cutting his knees through his clothes in the process, Clint looked down at his trembling hands. They were covered in blood. Pietro's blood._

 _Clint couldn't stop the tears that started flowing from his eyes after that, he barely registered they were there until he saw the tiny droplets of water fall on top of his blood stained hands. He couldn't help but notice how the blood instantly mixed, completely staining the pure liquid with red._

 _How the hell did this happen?_

 _How could_ he _have let this happen?_

Clint felt like lightning shot through him as he was suddenly jolted upright. He didn't know how he had gotten into a lying position, and it took a long moment before he realized... he wasn't in Sokovia. There was no rubble of destroyed buildings around him, no dead bodies ridding the streets, no blood on his hands. He was in a bed. His bed.

He was home.

Clint let out a shaky breath as he realized he simply had a nightmare. He was safe.

But with that realization came the memory of his dream. As his foggy mind cleared, his dream simply hit him full force like a slap in the face. Clint could barely control the sudden intake of overwhelming emotions that started pouring through him. He could feel his whole body shaking violently as he closed his eyes in hopes the pain would pass.

It didn't.

Clint silently swung his legs over the side of his bed so he could bury his face in his hands, elbows resting on his knees. Adrenaline was forcing its way through his veins, making him awake almost the instant he woke up, yet he still felt like he was in the haze of a dream. A dream he couldn't wake up from.

And maybe he was.

Short on breath, Clint tried his best to calm down after the event. He rubbed his face as he took in shaky breaths, trying his best to take in as much air as possible, even if his racing heart rate seemed unable to keep up. He didn't even realize that there was moisture on his cheeks until he rubbed his hand over it.

But he didn't dwell on that fact. He simply wiped away the old tears and went back to focusing on his breathing. He wanted to avoid a panic attack if he could help it. He hadn't had one in years, and he wanted to keep that streak up.

Clint took in one large, steady breath after another in an attempt to slow down the raceway in his body. But change didn't happen instantly. It was minutes on end before he finally felt himself calm down a smidge, and even longer before he felt calm enough to take his hands away from hiding his face. Though he couldn't get rid of the puffiness of his eyes, he wiped any trace of remaining wetness away from his cheeks.

Trying to ignore the trembling of his body, he looked back at Laura. She was sound asleep on the bed next to where he had previously laid, back facing Clint. Usually she would wake up whenever Clint woke in a panic, but he wasn't surprised she was still asleep. With baby Nate still interrupting their sleep schedule, her body was still trying to catch up.

He was fine with her staying asleep though. He didn't want to discuss his dream to her, not this one. Not yet. This one was still raw. Painfully raw. Painfully real.

Knowing sleep was unlikely for himself, Clint silently got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. He didn't want to risk more nightmares tonight.

He couldn't ignore the way his legs trembled as he made his way down the steps. It seemed to be an endless trek as he decided to take his time, carefully bracing himself on the railing so he could make it down in one piece. He probably should have stayed put for a few more minutes, but he desperately needed some space. He didn't want to stay in the room that had caused him so many nightmares, even if the best comfort to him was sleeping in the bed. She always did her best to help him through his nightmares and realities, but this event would be harder for Laura to provide comfort for. She never even met Pietro.

Clint took in another deep breath when he made it to the bottom of the steps. He stood for a minute, leaning against the wall to recuperate before finishing his original mission to the kitchen. As he got himself a drink of water that he badly needed, he debated making himself a cup of coffee instead. The caffeine would help him stay awake and plus, coffee always had its way of lifting his spirits.

However, he decided to hold off for a little while on that idea. Right now, he knew he needed something refreshing. He needed to cleanse himself of the nightmares.

Looking at the kitchen clock as he drank his ice cold drink, Clint noted that it was only one-thirty in the morning.

It was going to be a long night.

After putting the empty cup in the sink, Clint couldn't help but start pacing back and forth around the house. He often did on nights like this, so that was nothing new. Whenever he couldn't sleep or had a nightmare, pacing helped him calm down and get out his bundled up, nervous energy.

As he walked around the first floor, he rubbed his hands together in an attempt to stop them from shaking. Over time, the rest of his body seemed to stop trembling, but his hands didn't take the hint. They didn't appear to want to stop any time soon.

When he continued rubbing and pacing, Clint noticed in the corner of his eyes that the door to the guest bedroom was open. It wouldn't have been weird normally, but Wanda was visiting this week so the door usually remained closed when she was behind it.

He assumed the door accidentally slid open during the night, so he walked over to close it again. But as he glanced inside, he froze when he realized Wanda wasn't in the room. The bed was empty as the bed sheets were messily tossed aside.

Clint couldn't stop his adrenaline from spiking again in fear as he tried to find her.

 _Where would she be? What if something happened to her?_

He searched the whole house, bathrooms, the basement, he even peeked into the kids rooms. Sometimes Clint noticed that she joined Lila in her bed if the child needed comfort after nightmares, but Wanda was nowhere to be seen in any of these places.

Trying to frantically but quietly find an answer to this, it crossed Clint's mind that if she wasn't _in_ the house, maybe she was outside it. Looking through various windows throughout the house, he physically sighed a breath of relief as he looked out the front room window, finding Wanda sitting on the porch steps. She was looking out at the farm as her chin rested on her folded hands.

Clint was about to leave her alone so he could recover from that scare, when he sensed that something wasn't right. Observing her a moment, it didn't take long to realize what it was.

She was crying.

With a frown on his face, Clint had the silent battle of _'should he go see if she's alright or just leave her alone?'_

In the end, he decided that he was going to at least check on her, and if she wanted to be alone he would let her.

Making his way to the front door, he opened it with a light creak. Just by the unexpected noise, it caused Wanda to almost jerk out of her seat as she looked at the door behind her.

"It's just me," Clint calmly said as he closed the door behind him.

But upon realizing it was Clint, Wanda turned away instantly. Not from embarrassment of the startle, but from the desire to hide her tears.

Hesitating because he sensed Wanda's struggle, Clint asked from his position in front of the door, "Do you want to be alone?"

Wanda, frankly, didn't know how to answer that. She came outside to be alone, but she wasn't sure if she _should_ be alone. She was always alone. Sometimes it hurt to be alone.

Finally, she shrugged. She thought she will let Clint decide, since she couldn't make up her own mind.

Clint saw the shrug, but he was still nervous to move forwards. He wasn't sure what she meant by that vague answer, but he eventually did sit next to Wanda on the steps.

They sat in silence for a while as her quiet sniffles filled the air. She was trying desperately to get rid of any trace if her tears as discretely as possible, even if she knew there would be no way to hide them from Clint's hawk eyes. She just hated it when people saw her cry.

After a while, Clint couldn't stop himself from asking, "You okay?"

Wanda didn't know how to answer that question either. She didn't really want to talk about what was on her mind, so she just said, "No, not really..."

Clint understood if she didn't want to talk about whatever it was, so he didn't push it. Instead, he just turned his head back to the landscape ahead of him, hands fidgeting in his lap as he still wasn't over his own nightmares.

Wanda must have noticed his still trembling arms as she quietly asked him the same question. "Are _you_ okay?"

Clint couldn't help but let out a small, almost nervous laugh. "No, not really." He simply replied. He didn't really want to talk about the dreams that, once again, came back to plague him. He started getting these nightmares about Pietro the days directly after the fight, but once Nathaniel came around and sleep deprivation hit, he seemed to be freed of them. For a while anyway. Nathaniel was only a temporary distraction because the nightmares did return. They always returned. He should have known he would never be free from them.

"I don't know," Clint mumbled as he looked out at the farm before him. Wanda was right, Pietro would have liked it here. It was one of the only peaceful places he knew, and after hearing what little Wanda did say about her brother, he knew he would have liked this peace to escape to. Even if he enjoyed a fast-paced life.

"Maybe because I'm getting back in the field, it's bringing up some nasty memories. Nasty nightmares." He said as he rubbed his hands together as if it would stop the shaking. In reality, he knew rubbing wouldn't help, but talking about what was on his mind would. No matter how much he hated talking about it aloud.

"Nightmares are the worst," Wanda quietly commented, not bothering to go into more depth than that.

Clint took in some deep breaths since his body was still acting up from before. He wondered if nightmares were the same thing keeping Wanda up tonight. "Is that why you're up?"

She shook her head, still avoiding making eye contact with Clint. "I just… Can't sleep."

She did have her own set of nightmares to deal with but surprisingly, that wasn't the reason she was up. Tonight, she was simply up because she missed her brother.

Before Wanda fell asleep, it just hit her again like a load of bricks. She tried to sleep, but the tears just kept spilling out of her and her mind was too preoccupied to even attempt it.

It was just one of those nights.

A tense silence fell between them because they both felt they were holding back. Neither wanted to discuss what was on their minds, but they were both on the verge of in hopes to alleviate some of their inside pressure. But because neither ended up going into detail, they were left with an uncertain silence.

And the silence stayed there for minutes on end until Clint asked, "Are you still on the fence of whether or not you will stay an Avenger?"

"Yeah…" She simply replied. She was glad to have a change in topic to rid the air of the tension, but she couldn't help but wonder where he was going with this conversation's new direction.

Nodding, Clint hesitated before saying, "I'm going to tell you the truth, Wanda. This job sucks ass."

"That's a bit blunt," she couldn't help but slightly smile to try and lighten the mood. For the first time that night, the two of them made eye contact. A humorous grin on both their faces.

"Well I'm not going to lie to you. And don't take this the wrong way, there are good things about this job. There are just some shitty perks that come with it."

He paused before continuing, "Mistakes will be made, and no matter how badly you want to forget them…" Clint drifted as he turned away with a frown once again apparent on his face. It was hard to stare at Wanda after the dream. "You will never forget them."

A frown appeared on her own face from the change in mood. Before she could say anything, Clint let out a sigh while he looked down at his trembling hands. "I'm sorry, Wanda."

Scrunching her face in confusion, she asked, "Sorry for what?"

Clint was silent for a long minute as he tried to decide what he wanted to say. Wanda only grew anxious at his hesitance, but before he answered her question, Clint turned to face her properly. "I shouldn't have let you and your brother continue fighting. I should have… I should have seen him coming. I should have stopped him."

As he said this, Wanda finally understood what was on his mind. He felt guilty. A part of him blamed himself for Pietro's death. He blamed himself because he was still standing when he shouldn't be. Because he was still alive and Pietro wasn't from saving him.

And Clint had been blaming himself ever since that day it happened. Though he often kept it hidden, even from himself. He didn't have the heart to discuss the few nightmares he did have in these sleep deprived months, and he kept himself distracted with his family and friends so he didn't have to dwell on them. But the guilt never left. It was always there. Wanda was without a brother because Clint couldn't save Pietro the way Pietro saved Clint. Because Clint told them they could fight in the first place when they were too young and too inexperienced. Because Clint allowed Pietro to be in this situation where he had to make that choice of who to save.

It was a choice no one should have had to make, yet Pietro had to and died because of it.

Clint knew he couldn't save everyone, he _knew_ that, but _knowing_ that never made it easier when Clint did lose someone under his watch. He was a _'superhero_ ,' he was supposed to _'save the day.'_ Instead, he failed. He failed Wanda. And getting to know her over these past months only made him feel worse. Every week she visited, Clint was forced to witness the aftermath his failure caused. He always had to see the pain Wanda so desperately tried to bury from the team.

He let out a shaky breath while he looked back at his farm. Clint didn't expect forgiveness from her, that wasn't why he was mentioning this to her. He simply thought he should let her know that he's partly to blame for the death of her last family member.

The silence that followed Clint speaking his mind left him focusing on trying to stop his still trembling hands, which only seemed to grow in intensity.

"It's not your fault," Wanda said as she continued to look at Clint's still shaking arms. She could tell that even his body was shaken by the memory, it wasn't just his mind. He had been there when Pietro took his last breath, and he only took that last breath so Clint didn't have to. She hadn't been there when he died, but even if she wasn't, she still felt the life force of their bond drain out of her as he fell. She didn't have to witness it.

Wanda continued. "My brother was a stubborn idiot, he would have kept fighting whether you told us to or not. This was our home, and he would have put that above anything else. He always put others before himself. I know him."

Tears started welling up in her eyes again at simply discussing Pietro. Her voice started to quiver as she continued further, "It's just on nights like this where I can't get that idiot out of my head because… Because I loved him so much…" She had to stop for a moment as her voice cracked more. She had to clear her throat and wipe away some tears before finishing her train of thought. "Don't blame yourself for his own shitty personality flaws. You weren't the one that shot at him, and he thought you were worth saving. Even if it did cost him."

Wanda glanced back at Clint's arms. She wanted so badly for him to stop shaking on account of Pietro, she didn't want him to be this affected. She was supposed to be the only one caught in the aftermath. She never thought that anyone else was caught in it too. She should have realized Clint was caught in Pietro's aftermath with her.

She should have realized he needed just as much help as she did.

He shouldn't be the one trembling, that should be her job only. She didn't want others to feel her pain. She wished she could ground Clint's movement, she wish she could just… Stop his trembling. She wished she could somehow help him.

But even though she wanted that so badly, she took great hesitation in what she did next. She lightly placed her hand on his trembling forearm, hoping that some form of contact would strengthen it enough to stop. It was a silly gesture in her mind, but she didn't know how else to help. She wanted him to be okay, even if she would never be.

However, Clint nearly flinched away at the unexpected contact, looking up at Wanda in a mix of confusion and… pain. The way she put her hand on his arm quickly reminded him of what Pietro did in his dream. Tightly gripping his arm before lying dead in front of him moments later. It had felt so real, and her touch only reminded him of that.

Wanda noticed the hurt he simply couldn't hide from the gesture, so she carefully took her hand back. Taking a deep breath of her own, she spoke again as she continued to look at his trembling arms. "So many people need you, Clint. If Pietro knew how many, he would have saved you faster. This wasn't a situation you could control, _h_ _e_ _'s_ not a person you can control, and he wouldn't blame you for trying to save that boy from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't either."

Wanda didn't like talking about Pietro, it was still too soon after the experience and she couldn't help but finally crack up and cry. As she took her hand away to wipe her eyes, it was her turn to flinch at the contact of Clint pulling her into an unexpected hug.

At first, she didn't know how to react to the hug. It had been months since she had one. Besides Lila and Cooper, Pietro was the last person to give her one, and she couldn't help but be reminded of that last hug as Clint sat and embraced her. More tears couldn't help but fall from her eyes as she buried her face in Clint's shoulder, finally deciding to return the gesture.

She decided she wanted to hold onto that piece of Pietro. Even if it was just for a while.

Clint didn't want to overstep their boundaries, since they've only known each other for six months and she had barely opened up about Pietro to him in that time. There was only the occasional mention, the occasional asking for advice, and while they may have grown a closer family bond, they weren't terribly close because they both weren't too open. They were both reserved when it came to personals, and that had put a gap in their relationship.

But because she reached out to him first, Clint took this chance to reach back out to her. He didn't mean to flinch at her contact earlier, his body reacted before his mind. He could tell she needed some form of the support she tried to give him, and Clint thought a hug would be a good start. He could tell she needed one, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't need one too.

Maybe they could finally bridge this gap in their relationship.

For a while, they sat on the porch steps in each other's arms. The humid summer breeze rustling the tree leaves nearby, and that was one of the only sounds heard on this late night among the crickets and Wanda's soft sobs. Clint let out a silent sigh as he slowly rubbed Wanda's back to comfort her, while at the same time trying to make his shaking less apparent by using the soothing movement.

Clint closed his eyes. Despite all the good memories from these past few months, there were still times the past came back to haunt them both. Tonight seemed to be one of those nights.

At least now they were comfortable enough in each other's presence to let some of that pain out.

It was minutes later before they pulled away. Clint now having a tear stained t-shirt and Wanda wiping away the rest from her face.

"I'm sorry for bringing him up," Clint apologized to her. He didn't want to remind her of the pain because he knew losing a brother was something that would stick with her forever. The pain would never really go away, and he'd hate to be the downer reminding her of it.

Wanda shook her head dismissively. "No, it's about time I talk to someone about him." She paused before continuing, as if unsure she wanted to expand on it. "I don't know how much longer I would have lasted saying nothing. It's just… hard to talk about him with everyone else."

Clint nodded in a strange sense of understanding. He realized he knew how she felt in that department. "My nightmares of him are also taking a toll on me. It would be hard to talk to anyone else about him because you understood him the best."

He glanced at Wanda and surprisingly, they shared a small smile. They didn't need to say anything else.

They both had major issues, they knew that much, but maybe they could help each other with them. Help each other heal.

Pietro was a larger idiot than they thought, leaving behind this mess of an aftermath in his absence, but they couldn't help but love him.

After all, how could they _not_ love that idiot who threw himself into the deepest end just to push another to safety?

* * *

 **On occasion there will be a chapter I'll deem as rated T for various reasons. Those chapters will have warnings beforehand (like this chapter) just as a heads up.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this hurt/comfort chapter!:)**


	20. Morning Runs

Now she remembered. Wanda gave her hair ties to Lila when she lost hers, so they were in the upstairs bathroom...

Tiptoeing up the steps as silently as possible, Wanda cautiously made her way to the bathroom. It was early in the morning, the sun only beginning to rise, so she knew the Barton's weren't going to wake up for another few hours and she didn't want to wake them.

It took her a minute, but she eventually found what she was looking for on the messy sink counter. Wanda looked into the mirror after she picked out a pink tie among the mess of hair brushes and lotions so she could put her hair into a ponytail. She rarely wore her hair up, she only occasionally did if she was in training sessions, but today was going to be a hot day and she really didn't want her hair to stick to the back of her soon-to-be-sweaty neck.

Soundlessly walking down the steps once more, she made her way outside, closing the front door in her wake with a slight creak. Wanda breathed in the crisp morning air, seeing the dawn's dew resting on the grass as it glinted in the sunlight. The farm was beautiful at this time in the morning, it was so peaceful and the peace was only broken by the bright chirping of birds.

Feeling at ease hadn't come easy for Wanda ever since the bomb dropped on her family's apartment complex. It had taken her months before she felt at ease with the Barton's, but it was always mornings like this that no matter where she was, she always felt her worries melt away.

Stretching her arms over her head, she took in another deep breath as she took in the beauty around her. After stretching her legs behind her for the last time, she lightly jogged off the porch to start waking herself up with a morning run that was long overdue.

Wanda hadn't been on a run outside in what felt like ages. Spending most of her time in the Avengers training facility, they didn't always let the trainees exercise outside. The facility had a track, but they rarely let anyone freely roam the grounds in case of potential snipers or other lurking danger. She wouldn't have felt safe if she took her morning run there anyways, or even when she stayed at the Avengers Tower in the city. She always found it uncomfortable to run outside in those places, so she ran on treadmills instead.

But here, on the farm with Clint and his family, she felt safe. She could have the privacy she wanted so desperately since she never had it in the facility and city. Running put her into a special place within her mind, and she didn't want people seeing her run when she felt so many overwhelming emotions doing it.

Wanda kept her breathing steady as her shoes hit the dirt driveway with a slight thud and shift in the soil. Her arms pumping back and forth beside her, she felt the warm breeze on her exposed neck. The weather was warm, but it wasn't hot yet since it was only the morning and the temperature was still climbing. She saw a few puffy white clouds scattering the brightening sky that she hoped would give her some shade later on.

When she saw the end of the obnoxiously long driveway in sight, she noticed it split off into a main road that appeared empty. She was about to take advantage of it, but last minute she made the decision to stray from the path laid out for her. Instead, she started to run in the grassy fields of the Barton's farmland.

The grass was a bit overgrown, making it a challenge to run on, but it was a challenge she was glad to accept. As the grass brushed past her ankles, she couldn't help but smile at the tickling sensation.

Wanda continued to run through the grass, sweat starting to soak the back on her t-shirt from the exercise and temperature steadily rising. She ran on the outskirts of the forest, managing to capture the small bit of shade the scattered trees provided so she didn't get overheat.

And she continued running. She didn't know how long she ran for, managing to make it around most of the Barton's many mile wide property, but in all honesty, she didn't want to know.

That's one reason why she loved running. Once she built up enough endurance in training, she could run for miles without stopping. Simply getting lost in her own thoughts in a positive head space was relaxing enough for her, no matter how many beads of sweat ran down her forehead.

As she was in the middle of taking in a heavy breath, she immediately jumped backwards in panic. Something had jumped into her path, and it took her a long second to realize what it was. It was only a deer.

She huffed a small laugh as she bent down, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath and slow down her heightened adrenaline. It was just a deer. She wasn't in danger.

Looking up from the ground, she looked at the deer that was now standing in her path about ten feet away. It was Ivy, and she stared back at Wanda like a deer in headlights. It was as if she was trying to assess if the human was any danger to her.

Wanda simply stared back, a slight smile on her face as she took in a careful breath. She didn't dare move a muscle as they looked at each other because she feared she would scare Ivy off, but she couldn't help but notice how mesmerizing the deer's eyes were. The world seemed to melt away as she focused in on them, and she could feel the deer staring back at her with the same intent.

They stayed in that position for what seemed like ages until Ivy eventually turned her head back to the forest nearby. A hesitant second later, her child came out from the shrubbery. Ash bounced up to his mother, and she nuzzled her child in return as they continued to bound away into the grassy fields. They didn't stray too far from the edge of the forest, but they wanted to munch on some of the plants that were only in the plains.

Wanda continued to watch them from her own spot for a while, seeing the two happy deer eating breakfast, but soon enough she caught her breath and started running again once she was at ease. She made sure to give the deer space as she glanced at them one last time while passing by. She couldn't help but find their bond adorable and wanted to savor the moment for as long as she could. It was a bond of family, and it reminded her of the bond she had with Pietro.

That was another reason why she loved running so much. It kept her close to him.

Running was Pietro's favorite thing to do. He loved the freedom of it, he loved the wind blowing through his shaggy hair, and he simply just _loved_ the activity. It was only fitting he managed to get the power of speed from Strucker's experiments, just like her mental abilities were fitting for her. She would always talk about her emotions with Pietro, talk about what was on her mind, and listen to what was on his mind. Those talks always held a special place in her heart, and it wasn't surprising when she had gotten powers that complemented that love. Being able to read people's thoughts and feelings, even if she didn't open up to just anyone, she could still experience how others felt without violating their own privacy.

Their powers seemed to stem off of what they held close, and just like her late night talks with Pietro were close to her, running had been a big part of his life. Once he got his power of speed, being able to run anywhere in a flash only amplified his need to run free. Being locked up in a lab was no place for them, especially Pietro. That's one reason why they joined the fight when the Avengers raided the lab, they just wanted to get out.

And when they joined Ultron, they had the freedom of choice again for the first time in a long while. They didn't fully know what his motives were, but they still joined him because it was their decision to make. They could finally choose again.

Even when they were showed the truth, they still had that freedom of choice, to join the Avengers. And they took that choice because it was _their_ decision.

Wiping the sweat from her face with her exposed arm, she panted a bit as she knew her endurance was coming to an end. Finding the house in her sights, she took the shortcut through the fields and started making her trek back to the building.

Pietro used to always try convincing her to join his morning runs around Sokovia. She remembered all those early mornings where he nudged her awake in hopes she'd come along. However, she often declined the offer because she wasn't into running back then. The very few times she did join him, she could never keep up with his crazy fast pace. Wanda preferred to sleep in as opposed to die from sore legs miles behind her brother, but she had to admit she regretted not doing it more. Even if she didn't enjoy the activity then, she enjoyed spending the quality time with him.

But she couldn't help but smile at the good times she did spend with Pietro. Running allowed Wanda to think about her brother, remember the memories she had with him, without breaking out into tears. Now, doing the thing he loved so much only made her love it more. She found so much joy with it that she found it hard to be sad.

The sun had fully come up by the time she neared the farmhouse. It was bright and the dew on the grass had long ago evaporated. She could only guess she had been running for over an hour.

As she reached the dirt driveway she had started on, she noticed she wasn't the only one up when she neared the porch. Clint was sitting on the porch swing, mug of coffee in hand as he was still in his pajamas of a grey shirt and plaid shorts. He was bare feet and all as his right leg sat comfortably crossed upon his other knee, mug held firmly on his lap as he looked out at the farm.

He didn't seem to register Wanda returning from her run until the porch creaked under her weight from walking up the steps. Even then, he didn't look in her direction, he simply kept his eyes on the distance as he brought the mug of warm coffee to his lips.

As Wanda began stretching to cool down her muscles, she noted to steaming cup and asked, "Why are you drinking hot coffee? It's so humid out here already."

Clint simply smirked as he took another sip. "Why wouldn't I drink hot coffee? That's the real question."

Wanda cracked a smile at that. He was right, seeing him without coffee would be weirder than seeing him drink it, even on a hot day. He basically inhaled the stuff every few hours.

"I figured you wouldn't want coffee after you ran though," Clint said as he bent down and grabbed a metal water bottle from under the swing. "So I made you an ice cold water instead."

Tossing the bottle to Wanda, she easily caught it and instantly felt some of the heat disappear from the summer day when the frigid metal collided with her hand. "I can tell you put a lot of effort into making it yourself," Wanda joked as she opened the cap and felt the ice water slide down her throat. It was almost heavenly after her run. "Thanks."

"No problem," Clint simply replied before they continued to do their own thing in silence. Clint drank his coffee and Wanda stretched out her soon to be sore legs. It was a comfortable morning silence as the two were the only ones awake for miles around.

"Why are you awake, anyway?" Wanda finally asked the question that nagged at her brain. She never saw Clint up this early unless he had to be. "I thought you weren't a morning person?"

"I'm not," Clint replied. "But I heard you walking around upstairs and couldn't go back to sleep. So I settled for making coffee and enjoying a quiet morning instead."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," Wanda stuttered, a bit embarrassed. "I tried to be quiet, I didn't think I would disturb anyone."

Clint waved his hand dismissively before laying the cup in his lap again. "Oh, no. Don't worry about it. I didn't mean to put any blame on you or anything, I'm just a light sleeper in general. Comes with the spy business. I get used to waking up from subtle creaks and once I'm awake, I have a hard time going back into it. It's not your fault."

Wanda nodded, still feeling a bit guilty for accidentally waking him up though. But after her last stretch, she picked up the water bottle she had temporarily placed down and took another sip of the heavenly water.

Instead of standing to the side awkwardly, Wanda decided she might as well sit next to Clint on the swing. He silently gave her approval and they simply sat next to each other in silence as they saw the birds fly by in the climbing summer heat.

They didn't need to say another word as they enjoyed their drinks on the farm. They were both at peace here, danger feeling like it was miles away and could never touch the beauty of this home. Family was close by, mentally and physically, and that's all they needed.

And that peace was never interrupted. Even when Clint said to Wanda, "I hope you plan on taking a shower soon…"


	21. An Unexpected Visit

"Oh shi-"

That was all Clint had time to mumble as Laura greeted her old friend at the door. There was no time to avoid the situation about to unfold, he would have to adjust as they went along.

This was not going to be fun. Clint could already tell.

"Kayla! Oh wow, it's so good to see you again! It's been ages," Laura said as she happily hugged her friend in the doorway.

"Exactly, you can't get rid of me for that long," The friend explained as she pulled away from their embrace, still holding onto Laura's shoulders in front of her. Putting all jokes aside, she gave a genuine smile before letting go of her friend to tuck her long black hair behind her ear. "I couldn't resist stopping by. I was in the area and... It's just been... Two years too long, you know?"

Laura nodded, completely agreeing with that statement. "You know how glad I am to see you Kay, but you also know how much I hate surprises. You should have at least called ahead," She said as she invited her friend in even if she broke their _'always call ahead'_ rule. It was put in place to prevent family and friends from discovering Clint's many secrets relating to his job, but now that Kayla was here... Laura was on the same page as Clint in the next room. They had to act natural, despite the guests they already had over.

"I know," Kayla felt a bit guilty about dropping in so suddenly, especially since she knew the rule. "But when I'm passing through your town already, it's hard not to think of you guys. I just had to check in."

Giving her friend a comforting smile to show her there weren't any hard feelings, she said, "To be fair, you've never broken the rule before. One strike on your record was bound to appear..."

And for that, Laura received a slug to the arm. "Hey! You're just as much of a troublemaker! Remember forth grade? Ms. Hecker's desk?"

"Oh, you know we never bring up forth grade," Laura rolled her eyes when she brought up the prank before discretely trying to glance over at Clint and Wanda in the living room amidst their banter. She tried to silently get his plan of action before Kayla noticed them. Unfortunately, it didn't take her long to.

Looking in the same direction, Kayla's grin only grew. "Clint? Is that you?"

 _Crap._

Clint was planning on slipping upstairs, but now he was seen and had to think of another way to get up there because he had to prevent Steve from appearing at all costs. Sam and Wanda were explainable, they didn't have a media presence. Cap on the other hand, has been known to the world for seventy years and couldn't be hidden behind simple lies. Clint had to play this smart.

As Kayla walked closer to greet him properly, Clint mumbled to Wanda, "Follow my lead."

"I almost didn't expect to see you here, Clint," Kayla said as she gave the man a hug. He had been on _'business trips_ ' the last few times she visited so they hadn't met up in ages.

"Same to you, Kayla," He lightly teased. Within the lighthearted moment, once they pulled away from their hug he could instantly see her face drop with guilt once she saw Wanda.

"Oh god, I didn't realize you guys had company over. I'm so sorry," She quickly apologized but Clint dismissed it since the situation couldn't be changed.

"It's okay. Kayla, this is Wanda. Wanda, Kayla," He introduced and they politely shook hands. Already knowing questions were coming and the fact that _'a friend from work'_ excuse wouldn't work with a teenager, Clint said the first lie out of many to come today. "Wanda's my niece."

Kayla almost seemed overjoyed by this fact and elaborated on her clear reaction. "You're Clint's niece? I've never actually met anyone from Clint's side of the family, it's so nice to meet you!"

Wanda gave an awkward nod since she wasn't very fond of having to lie, so she instead truthfully replied, "Same to you. I haven't met any of Laura's family or friends either."

In that brief sentence, it was hard to miss Wanda's thick accent shining through. Commenting on it in a blunt, Kayla fashion, the woman asked, "Wow, your accent is beautiful. Are you from out of town?"

"Um yeah, I'm from out of town," She responded while racing to decide on what to say next. She didn't want to lie, she wasn't a master at it yet by any means, so instead she decided to stick with a partial truth. "My family lives in Sokovia."

"Oh, that's why you guys never come to Barton family parties. That's a long travel," She said before a realization dawned on her and her tone turned into one of worry. "Oh god, I hope you weren't there when..." She couldn't seem to say it, but everyone knew what Kayla was referring to. "Is your family alright?"

Wanda knew it was too late to hide the truth from her features, the trauma from the reign of Ultron was still fresh despite the months that have passed, so she continued with her half-truths. "My family is fine. Others were affected more than us," She referred to her family of Avenging friends if anything to avoid thinking about her brother. She didn't feel like she had it worse than others, what she went through still sucked but many people had lost their homes, families, everything. Meanwhile, she didn't have a lot to lose anyway and even if she lost the one person she had, she gained a new home and family.

Even though she had just met this girl, Kayla was already attached by the visible relief on her face after Wanda convinced her that they were fine. "I'm so sorry for bringing it up, I'm glad you guys are okay," She tried to think of what else to say, but it was hard to put herself in Sokovian shoes when it was a tragedy only they knew first hand.

So Clint took lead in the conversation, directing it away from Wanda in an attempt to keep her from reliving the event and prevent Kayla from asking too many questions about her family. "The reconstruction efforts are coming along slowly, that's why she's visiting. It's nice to have a break from the mess," Clint said as he put his hands on Wanda's shoulders. One thing he learned from the spy business: it was the simple gestures that supported lies. By putting his hands on her shoulders it makes them appear closer than they are. The unconscious often picks up these details without realizing, and it goes a long way in someone's belief.

However, in an attempt to not make Wanda uncomfortable by the contact and potentially breaking the illusion, he only kept his hands there for a moment before resting them at his sides. As he did this, Kayla continued, "With all the damage, I can imagine the reconstruction must take a toll. It's great that you two are helping where you can," She said while facing Laura and Clint.

And he couldn't help but share a brief smile with Wanda as he said, "Well, family looks out for each other."

The tone of the conversation instantly lighter from that sentence, Kayla asked, "Is the rest of your family visiting too? I'd love to meet them."

"No, they're still in Sokovia. I'm the only one visiting," She replied slightly too quick for comfort, but the tiny slip was barely noticeable to the untrained ears.

"There is someone else you can meet though," Clint mentioned once he finally saw his moment to escape and warn the others, "A friend from work is here today too, I'll go fetch him and the kids."

Excusing himself, Clint was glad he left because he caught the others just in time, stopping them from making their way down the steps to investigate the commotion. Quickly directing them back into the closest room, that being Cooper's, the others commented on the archer's weird behavior.

As Clint closed the door, Steve asked, "What's up?"

"I'm debriefing you," He said before elaborating. "One of Laura's friends surprised us. She stopped by for a brief visit and we had to explain Wanda and soon, Sam." Turning to address Cap better, Clint explained, "You, Captain, will be much harder to make up an explanation for since you're basically famous. I don't think it would be wise for her to meet you just in case our secrets get out."

Nodding in understanding, before they could hear the rest of the plan, Cooper interrupted, "Which one of mom's friends is here?"

"Aunt Kay," Clint swiftly replied.

The kids' eyes lit up as he said that. "Auntie Kay!? It's been years!" Lila said and almost bolted out of the door but her father caught her mid-sprint.

"Hey there, hold your horses! I have to tell you something first."

"What?" Lila quickly asked since she wanted to see her aunt right away.

"You know the drill," Clint said to remind them that they couldn't disclose any information about his work to anyone else, even if he knew they didn't need the reminding. They've gotten good at covering for him over the years. "If anyone asks, Wanda's your cousin visiting from Sokovia. Her family is fine and just helping back home with the recovery efforts. Sam is my friend from work and Steve doesn't exist. Got it?"

The two nodded in understanding before Clint motioned that they could go and greet their aunt, which they were glad to do. They ran out of the room within seconds and Clint couldn't help but smile at their excitement.

As he turned back to the two other men, he noticed their confused looks at the fact that a father was telling their kids to lie. Clint hated how he had to support it, but he explained why, "We can't disclose to anyone that we're Avengers or working for Shield because the more people we tell, the more chance there is for word to get out and it puts this whole family in danger. The kids often have to keep up my cover stories when these situations arrive. They know it's a precaution."

All it took was one friend visiting the Barton's at the wrong time for their secret to get out. One friend to potentially ruin their peaceful, undercover lives. If the wrong person found out he was Avenger, it wouldn't take much for that information to spread. The enemy could discover where they live, and he couldn't put his family in danger like that so he continued to explain his main cover story to the two Avengers now thrown into this situation. "Now Sam, since you're ' _a friend from work'_ you need to know what type of work I do. I work as a pilot for a popular airline, and you have recently upgraded to the position of my Co-pilot."

"Got it, Flightless," Sam nodded, understanding the seriousness of keeping his cover.

"Steve," Clint turned to his friend and tried to think of a solution to explain him to Kayla. He didn't want to have Steve hide while she was visiting, that wouldn't be the ideal way to treat a guest in his home. However, Clint was fruitless in his efforts. He knew there was just no way she wouldn't recognize the Captain. "I'm sorry, I just don't think she'll buy that you aren't _the_ Captain America. You'll probably have to make yourself scarce until Kayla leaves."

Steve nodded. He wasn't upset about having to make himself scarce, even if he did come this weekend to spend time with the family. He understood why he couldn't show himself and how dangerous the situation could actually become. He was fine with hiding for a few hours if that meant this family would remain safe. "No problem, Clint. I could even leave if you need me to. I could call Fury to send someone by..."

Clint shook his head. "I'll find out how long she plans to stay first and get back to you. You still have a few days here and I doubt she'll be staying long since she came unannounced."

Understanding, they all shared one last glance before Clint took a deep breath and lightly slapped Sam's back. "Well Co-pilot, time to meet Kayla."

* * *

"Sorry this weekend wasn't the _'relaxing time spent with friends'_ you expected," Clint said as he sat next to Steve, leaning against a hay bale in the barn. They managed to sneak Steve outside when Kayla went to the bathroom so she wouldn't run into _the_ Captain America on accident.

Steve laughed as he continued to sketch in the dim lighting of the barn since the night started rolling in not long ago. "That's okay, Clint. The life of an Avenger is never predictable."

"You do have a point there, Cap." Clint smiled as he looked down at what his friend was drawing in his sketchbook. He was sketching out the newly refurbished tractor.

"Today was actually very relaxing despite the surprise," Steve continued. "I haven't had much time to draw lately, being swamped with training the trainees and all, so some quiet time was just what I needed."

"Well, I'm glad you still enjoyed your stay at the Barton Family Farm," Clint said as he continued to observe Steve's art. He was glad that he still enjoyed his visit despite being cooped up in the barn all day. "Kayla should be leaving within the hour so you don't have to spend all night out here. I'll let you know when."

"Sounds good..." He drifted as he was now only half focusing on the conversation. His main focus was on his tractor sketch as he started erasing some imperfections from silently critiquing his own work.

Clint started looking elsewhere on the page he drew on, to see what else he made throughout the day. As he did this, he noticed another sketch in the corner he recognized. "Is that the deer?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," Steve replied as he finished up his tractor sketch and looked at the sketch Clint was referring to. "I sat behind the barn earlier to draw some scenery and I saw the deer come out of the forest. I drew them as they ate some plants."

He flipped through his sketchbook to reveal more pictures of the deer he drew earlier. Some of them were of the family munching on bushes near the forest, others were of them cuddling. But he noticed there was one whole page dedicated to a large sketch of Bucky the Buck standing proud with its head held high, keeping watch of his family.

"Wow that's a lot of drawings. When Lila and Cooper find out you drew the deer, you won't be able to escape them. How long were they out for?" Clint asked, wondering how much time it took to draw all those sketches.

"Not long," Steve replied. "After drawing so much throughout the years, I've gotten pretty fast at sketching. Comes with practice."

Silently nodding, Clint noticed the amount of rough detail that Steve added in his work. "How close were they?"

"Not close at all," Steve said as he admired his own work and started fixing a few flaws along the way. "Side effect of the serum is that I have 200/20 vision. I can see details from a mile away."

"Man, I think I just lost my title of Hawkeye. You have better vision than me," Clint smirked as he started standing up from the hay bale they sat against.

Steve smirked back. "Yeah well, I think I'll let you keep that title. I have a better one. _The_ Captain America."

"I see what you're doing, sticking me with the pity title," Clint responded as he dusted the dirt and hay off of his pants. "I'll let you know when your _famous_ _title_ can once again grace its presence in my household."

* * *

"Man, I don't want to leave you guys, but if I don't leave now I'll never make it to my parent's place before midnight." Kayla said as she bounced the growing Nathaniel in her arms while the whole family started gathering on the porch. "I need to come back here in less than two years, see how all of you are growing," She smiled as she talked to the three kids around her. Two of which were hugging her sides.

As she passed off Nate to Clint, who gladly took his son back, she bent down to properly hug the two attached to her.

"It was amazing to see you again Kayla," Laura said as she hugged her close friend once she finished hugging the kids. "Just call ahead next time," She laughed.

Sharing that laugh with her, Kayla replied, "Sure thing. Next time I won't barge in on your company. Deal?"

"Deal," She answered with a smile.

Kayla then turned to Sam and Wanda. "Sorry I interrupted your weekend, but it was great meeting you two." She said as she shook their hands one last time.

"Pleasure's all mine," Sam lightly flirted. He had to admit Kayla grew on him throughout the day when he discovered they both had a similar sense of humor.

She just rolled her eyes when she caught on to the humorous tone within his flirt. "I'm sure it was, old veteran."

Sam smirked as she walked down the porch steps and towards her car, waving to them all as she unlocked it. "I'll be keeping in touch!"

Waving final goodbyes as she drove away, they all watched the car lights disappear in the distance. Everyone was silent for a moment until Sam said, "I like her."

"She's sweet," Wanda agreed with a nod.

"Well I'm glad you like my side of the family," Laura smiled at the two. She had met most of Clint's Avengers family, but as the team grew closer with the Barton's, they had yet to meet some of Laura's family. At least now they met one of the many friends she loved like family.

Clint shifted Nate in his arms to try and stop the kid from attacking his ear with his tiny, but strong, fingers. "Hey Cap," he shouted in the direction of the barn. "The coast is clear."

A minute later, Steve emerged from the barn, locking the door in his wake. As he walked closer, closing his sketchbook in hand, he asked, "What did I miss?"

"Well she's no Avenger or super spy, but you would have liked her," Sam said as his friend joined them in the light of the porch.

"Yeah, she's very… Normal." Wanda shrugged but continued. "She was nice though. I got to learn about her Costa Rican descent," She remembered that when Kayla asked about Sokovia, she in turn told her she recently returned from visiting her family in Costa Rica. She learned that most of her relatives lived there even after her parents moved to America, and even if Wanda never saw the country, she felt like she had through the beautiful descriptions Kayla gave.

"I got to talk to her about my time in the military and," Sam pretended to cough as he pointed to Clint, "talk about my job as a Co-pilot to this disaster."

"Man, I'm sorry I missed her," Steve replied as he briefly looked down at his sketchbook, remembering what Clint had said earlier. "But while you guys were talking all night, I was being productive…"

He grinned as the kids eyes lit up when they looked at the sketchbook, clearly wanting to see what he had drawn. Without another word, Steve was dragged back into the house so they could sit on the couch and see what he created. Clint was right, they wouldn't let him get away without seeing his new sketches first.

"Yeah, I don't think he's too sorry he missed the party," Sam shook his head with a smirk. "God's righteous man, caught lying. What a sorry day…"

"He just wanted more time with the kids, I can tell," Clint laughed as they all decided to join the three already in the house.

The kids were growing on the Avengers all right. Whether they would have predicted it or not, the Barton household was always full of surprises.

Even if some were unwelcome surprises, today was certainly filled with some welcome ones.

* * *

 **Special Thanks to the** **Guest** **who requested this chapter of one of Laura's friends coming to visit while some Avengers were in town, therefore causing this situation of hiding and protecting their identities. It was an awesome request idea and I can't thank you enough for all the sweet compliments! I'm glad you liked my story so far and I hope you'll continue enjoying the chapters I have in store!:D**

 **It always makes my day when I read the comments you guys write, so thank you to all who do! Especially to Katie MacAlpine as I love reading your responses about the deer in your neighborhood! I agree with you, they are beautiful and peaceful creatures, which is why you will see plenty more of them throughout this story!**

 **Thanks to all of you who read my story! It means a million!:)**

 **Edit 08/14/19: I made many changes to the** **dialogu** **e** **in this chapter since I reread this and found it very unrealistic. I hope it flows better now XD**


	22. Hunting Season (Pt1)

Clint grunted as he plopped another bag of seeds onto the back of his truck. He was currently stocking up for the next planting season since they were having a sale at the Home Depot in town. It was fall, way past planting season for this year, but the prices were cheap and the seeds could survive the winter no problem. So now was the prime time to stock up before they raised prices at the beginning of next year.

This Iowa town Clint and his family lived in was small, only having a few convenience stores, diners, a grade and high school, a few small medical facilities, a sheriff's office, among a few other places. The town wasn't even big enough to have a full police force, but they usually never needed one. It was a quiet town where everyone was generally friendly with one another, so there usually was only need for a sheriff for the occasional bar fight.

Clint continued to heave the large bags into his truck, only stopping briefly to see another truck park in the empty parking space next to him. Two men came out a few moments later, one smaller than the other.

But Clint paid them little mind as he finished up his job at hand, closing the back of his truck with a thud. As he was about to put his cart back, Clint heard one of the men speak. He didn't pay attention to his words until he realized they were trying to talk to him.

"Hey man, excuse me..." The smaller of the two asked.

"Yeah?" Clint said as he turned to face them, gripping the handle of his cart.

"Is that the only hunting store in the area?" He asked while motioning towards the Hunting Goods store that was next to the Home Depot he was just in.

Clint nodded and mentally sighed at the fact that they were hunters. It was hunting season. His least favorite season, but he wasn't surprised in the fact that they were hunters. A lot of them drifted in and out of town on their way to better hunting grounds.

He was going to be polite though, even if he disliked hunters, so he answered their question. "Yeah, this is the only hunting store in town. The only other hunting stores are a good 70 miles in the next town over."

"Hmm... what do you say, Derek? Want to stop here or go to the next town to restock?" The smaller man in the green vest asked the larger, more plump one.

"I don't know… It isn't our usual enterprise…" Derek considered as he stroked his bushy, brown beard.

"Well, they have some good quality products. I used to buy replacement arrows there, and they were some of the best I've ever had." Clint mentioned, trying to be helpful. Even if he wasn't particularly fond of hunters, he didn't mind helping them out if they were bound to leave town like all the rest. Also, he did like supporting the owners of the small shop since he knew them pretty well and they were good people. He did like the arrows and products they sold, he bought them a lot before he started making his own arrows, so he didn't mind directing traffic their way.

"You used to hunt too?" The smaller man asked. Clint could tell he was trying to be friendly and start a casual conversation, but he wasn't much for small talk.

The question made Clint smile though, like he was thinking of an inside joke. If hunting people down for Shield counted, then he _technically_ still did hunt. "Yeah, I hunted here and there."

"Well, if a fellow hunter recommends this store, we'll go check it out." Derek said with a smile and nod as the two started walking away.

"Thank you!" The other man waved and Clint simply nodded in acknowledgement.

After they left, he sighed and stole a glance at the mens' truck. He noticed items in the back of it but he didn't realize what they were until he finally paid attention to it. He found a ton of hunting equipment partially covered by tarps, along with multiple "trophies" of antlers. Deer antlers.

Clint bit his lip as he thought of the deer family. He _really_ hoped these men decided to leave town quickly.

Pushing his worry aside, he continued his earlier task and put his cart away. Getting into his own truck, he headed down the street to continue his mission of running errands for Laura. It was only a minute later when he reached his destination of the town's main convenience store.

It was time to pick up some groceries.

Clint silently walked through the isles of the store, often looking down at Laura's shopping list in his hand and occasionally picking up a food item he read on it. But when he got to the milk section, he noticed something. He smiled as he made eye contact with Jim, the town sheriff.

"Hey, Jim!" Clint smiled as they grey haired man walked over to him.

"Mr. Barton, haven't seen you around these parts in a few months!" He joked as they shared a firm handshake.

"Well, you know how work is. It keeps me busy," Clint laughed. "How's work on your end? Day off? Wife giving you chores like me?"

"Oh, you know how she keeps you busy," He said. "But no day off, I'm just working the night shift. That means 'bar fight break-up' duty."

Clint winced slightly. "Ooo, that's the worst one. Don't you usually make the deputies deal with that shift?"

"Well," he shrugged, "I have to take a shift here and there. I can't stick them with _all_ the hard ones." He smiled, knowing he often did stick them with the tough shifts anyway. He was an old man who had to do that shift plenty of times throughout his life, and it was his turn to finally get a break from it. "By the way, how are Laura and the kids doing?"

Clint smiled as he knew he was also discretely asking about Nate. "They're all doing pretty good. Nate just keeps on growing but is becoming very fussy lately. Even if work keeps me from always helping out, the kids and some friends come help where they can."

"That's good," Jim nodded. "I'll never know how you do it, being a pilot, flying around to other countries constantly, and finding time to come back home to raise kids with your wife. It still amazes me."

Clint shrugged, "I figure it out. It's worth it in the end, I get to do all the things I love." The town, like many others, didn't know what Clint's real job was. They also thought he flew airplanes like the rest of Laura's friends and family. It was an easy cover to keep that explained why he was often out of town.

Clint thought back to the conversation he had with the hunters earlier. "How has your job been? You know, with all the hunters in the area."

Jim sighed while he rubbed is temples. "It's been annoying, they're giving me headaches. A lot more than usual are passing through this year, and that means more of them want to hunt in this area. I have to direct them out of town every five minutes since they would be trespassing on private property at nearly every turn."

"Well, you know who to call if any refuse to leave..." Clint smirked. Jim knew about Clint's passion for archery, and he knew that he could be very intimidating after helping break up a few bar fights in the past that got way too out of hand for Jim to handle. Jim could only guess how intimidating he would be behind his bow and arrow, especially after last years... incident.

"Oh you know you're the first person I'd call. They never come back after running into you. Just don't shoot anyone like last year, Clint," He laughed as he lightly slapped Clint's arm with the back of his hand.

"No promises, but I'll do my best. Thanks again for helping us out with that situation," He thanked Jim. He was lucky Jim had a few tricks up his sleeve because last year, he needed to use them. A few hunters made their way onto Clint's property to hunt, and since they were acting like idiots and jerks who refused to leave his property, Clint ended up 'accidentally' shooting one of them in the leg. It was hard to get out of a lawsuit involving that situation, but somehow Jim managed.

"It's the least I could do," Jim answered. "We don't want a lawsuit on our hands, those things are more annoying to deal with than the hunters themselves."

They shared a laugh of agreement before continuing to catch up with each other. Clint discovered that Jim's wife, Marcia, was trying to convince him to retire so they could move to a warmer climate the rest of their days, but Jim was obviously refusing. He was a man in his seventies, but he really did enjoy his job. Clint could tell he would never be leaving it, but it didn't stop Marcia from trying.

For a few minutes they talk, but they eventually had to go their separate ways to get their shopping done. "Well, it was great seeing you again, Clint," The sheriff nodded a goodbye to his friend.

"You too, Jim," Clint responded as he adjusted the direction of his cart. "Remember, if any hunters stick around this year, you know where to find me."

Jim rolled his eyes but nodded. He would totally take Clint up on that offer if another incident arose this year because he knew he could scare any hunter away in a heart beat. "Tell your family I said 'hi.'"

"Will do," Clint waved as he headed off to get a few more perishables to finally check out.

Jim became a good friend of the Barton family over the years, but everyone seemed to get along with the older man. He was a fair sheriff and overall a good guy. Since he didn't get much action in this town for his job, he basically used his office hours to help out everyone else in the town with little things. Whether it was helping them carry groceries down the street or someone just needing to talk about something on their mind, Jim was there. He basically half-ran a sheriff's office and half-ran a help center.

But as Clint made his way back home, he couldn't stop thinking about the two hunters he met. They seemed to keep nagging at the back of his brain.

He had the sinking feeling he would be seeing them again, but Clint just hoped it wasn't going to be in the context of hunting.


	23. Don't Shoot! (Pt2)

"Daddy?" Lila said while walking up to Clint. He was currently sitting on the couch adjusting his bow string.

"Yeah sweetie?" He asked as he laid the unfinished bow in his lap to face his daughter.

Lila's eyes were filled with worry. "Daddy, do you think they're okay?"

Instantly, Clint knew what she was talking about. Since it was hunting season, she was worried about the family of deer. She was afraid of hunters getting to them and therefore, constantly needed updates.

Honestly, he hadn't planned on the kids getting so attached when he first took them out to see the family months ago, but the deer had surprisingly become an important part of all their lives. It was understandable why they wanted to make sure they were okay.

Clint smiled at Lila. "What do you say I go check on them after I finish tightening my bow string?"

Some of Lila's worry melted away and it was enough to be replaced with a smile of her own. "Would you?" She asked and threw her arms around her father's shoulders. "Thanks dad!"

After they embraced each other in a hug for a few moments, she speedily ran off to tell Cooper the good news.

Clint finished the task in his lap and walked through the house to find Laura. He found her in baby Nathaniel's room, rocking him to sleep in her arms for his midday nap. Clint's face couldn't help but still light up at the sight of the adorable bundle in her arms. Nate seemed to be growing so fast with each passing day, recently starting to learn how to crawl and though his babbles, they started to make out his first words: ma-ma and da-da.

His children's firsts were always a big deal, and he couldn't help but feel like a proud father as he got to witness them.

Clint walked over and planted a kiss on Laura's forehead before gently placing his hand on his son's small head. "I'm going out for a bit to keep an eye on the deer family. The kids are worried about them," Clint whispered as to not wake up their eight month old son.

"Hmm, hunting I see," Laura smirked as she referred to an inside joke while placing Nathaniel in his crib. "Just promise not to shoot anyone like last season. We just barely got out of that lawsuit thanks to the sheriff."

Clint gave a quiet laugh. "In my defense, those guys were trespassing jerks. They deserved that."

"Promise me," She insisted through a demanding tone.

Clint sighed. " _Okay_ , I promise not to shoot anyone this year."

"Uh huh," Was Laura's simple reply, still not completely convinced he wouldn't break that promise. "Be back before dinner."

"Yes, ma'am." Clint said before walking out of the room to find his quiver. Once he had it rightfully with his bow, he headed out to the forest surrounding their house.

It didn't take long for Clint to reach the deer's den since the path was engraved in his memory from going there so much. Without getting too close to the den, Clint positioned himself so he could see if any of the deer family were home. Currently, it was the mother and her newborn fawn. The father was probably out protecting his territory.

Ivy and Ash weren't aware of his presence yet, so he decided to back off a bit just in case. He found a nice tree to climb not too far away and perched on a higher branch of the thick tree, making himself comfortable as he looked around to see if Bucky the Buck was in the immediate area, along with anything else.

When he couldn't find anything, he sat on the branch and made himself comfortable, still keeping a close eye out for danger.

Jim had contacted him a few days ago to let him know more about the two hunters that came into town. Their names were discovered to be Derek and Lewis Colton, and the sheriff said that they have unfortunately been sticking around. They were warned that most of the area near the town was private property and if they were hunting here, they likely would roam into that by mistake and would therefore be going against the law. The brothers still wanted to hunt in the area and the sheriff couldn't do anything about it since they weren't caught doing anything wrong yet.

But over the past few days, Clint came out to the forest more, just to make sure they stayed away. He didn't trust that they weren't going to wander into his territory.

He needed to make sure they stayed away from hunting this deer family.

And if there was one thing Clint hated, it was hunters. He hated the idea of hunting in general. His job as an agent _may_ have been similar to hunting, but Clint loathed the idea of hunting living creatures for trophies to hang on their wall. At least in his job, if he hunted people down it was to protect the greater good from some extremely dangerous men, and he avoided killing them as much as his job would allow.

But purposely hunting and murdering living creatures simply for pride… He hated the thought.

Clint continued observing the doe and fawn. They seemed happy, innocent, and overall oblivious to the possible danger of hunters as the mother nuzzled her child. Watching them for the longest time just warmed Clint's heart as they were a constant reminder of his own family he loved so much.

But Clint's own oblivious moment ended when he was startled from his thoughts by the sound of a gunshot, causing the fawn and doe's ears to perk up in worry. He instantly spun his head in the direction the shot came.

From his vantage point in this tree, he was able to see well in all directions since it was currently late October and most of the trees had lost a good chunk of leaves already. It allowed him to see farther.

But he still didn't see anything. "Crap," He mumbled to himself. It must have came from farther out.

He hopped out of his tree as fast as possible and landed with the soft crunch from the crisp leaves underneath him. He knocked an arrow in his bow and started running off in the direction of the noise.

Clint knew the moment he heard the shot that it was the hunters. He just hoped they didn't fire at the buck.

He was glad it didn't take long before he had the two hunters in sight. Clint carefully stationed himself behind a nearby tree as he listened in on their conversation to get his bearings before jumping into action.

"You idiot! Now we won't be able to get that prize!" The larger man, Derek, had said.

 _Prize._ Hearing that word made Clint's hand tighten around his bow. Referring to animals as 'prizes to be won if killed' was high on his list of reasons that would likely get you shot in the leg by Clint Barton.

"Why did you have to miss? Now the buck knows we're here!" Clint mentally sighed in relief from hearing they didn't get Bucky.

"I'm sorry, Derek. You know I'm new to this," Lewis replied.

"I know. Let's just catch up to it before it gets too far," Derek said.

Before they could run off however, Clint came out from behind his hiding spot and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sirs." He casually said as he held an arrow armed and ready towards them.

The men turned around, startled, with their weapons raised also. But when they just saw it was the man they met a few days ago, they slowly lowered their weapons expecting him to do the same. Clint didn't falter in his position.

Derek spoke first. "Man, you startled us."

"You know you can lower your weapon, right?" Lewis responded directly after.

Clint ignored their comments and got down to business. He wanted these hunters out as fast as possible. "You do realize you're trespassing on private property, right?"

"It's just a little bit of hunting," Derek shrugged. "It's harmless."

Clint narrowed his eyes. "Not to that deer you almost killed."

"It's just an animal," he laughed about to continue his statement if Clint hadn't interrupted him.

"That doesn't matter. I don't condone murder on my property." He said and raised his weapon further.

"Wait," Derek narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said you were also a hunter? How do you not condone hunting a deer on your property?"

Clint simply shrugged. "I didn't say what I hunted. Or who."

They raised their eyebrows at him and they shared a glance. They had looks on their faces which clearly had them wondering to themselves if he was joking, or a psychopath. Clint couldn't help but smile slightly. Maybe he was a bit of a psychopath in a way, but at least his interrogation skills were working and putting these idiots in place.

After a minute of letting them sweat over his statement, Clint continued. "Now, I suggest you two leave town and find another place to hunt, or I'll tell the sheriff you were _illegally_ hunting on private property."

Lewis put his hands up defensively, hoping to not anger the crazy man in front of him. "No need to get worked up, we didn't know we wandered into your property."

"Then maybe you should research boundaries next time," Clint replied blandly. He could tell they frankly didn't care if they wandered into other's property, they just wanted to hunt.

"Alright man, alright." Lewis stated to not anger the potential psychopath holding a weapon at them. "No need to shoot anyone. It was a mistake."

"A mistake that I suggest you fix by leaving, quickly. Before I lose my patience and decide to shoot."

Derek laughed as their conversation unfolded. "You can't shoot us. You said it yourself, you don't condone murder on your property."

Clint didn't take kindly to the larger man's mocking. So he messed with him in return. "You're right. I don't condone murder here. But who said anything about murder? Injuring _badly_ isn't considered murder."

The man continued to laugh. "You wouldn't dare shoot us."

Clint replied by pulling his bowstring back further. "Tell that to the hunter that came by last season."

Derek and Clint narrowed their eyes at each other for a long moment before Lewis broke the tension with his own look of terror. "Um, no need to shoot anyone, man. We're glad to leave peacefully. _Right,_ Derek?"

It took a minute before he replied with a grunt. "Right, Lewis," he snapped.

Carefully, they started walking back in the direction of the main road. Clint was about to lower his bow when he heard the man mumble in the distance. "We can always come back when this mental case isn't around."

At that, Clint snapped. He was just about to shoot this guy in the leg since this man seemed to push all the wrong buttons on Clint, when he remembered the promise he made to Laura. With a sigh, he aimed for the tree in front of the guy's face.

He let go of the arrow, letting it fly through the air. It just barely nicked the man's cheek and landed in the tree in front of them. It took a moment for the man to process what happened as he looked at the arrow in the tree in front of him.

When he did, he felt his cheek and the tiny amount of blood running from the slight cut. He turned around, partly in shock that this man could have shot him in the back of the head just then, but he was mainly furious. Before he could say anything, Clint interrupted. "You can bet I'll be patrolling my property, and if I ever see you boys back here again… Let's just say you won't want to see me angry."

Derek was basically fuming, but Lewis had sense and pulled him back to prevent him from rushing into a fight with a guy that could potentially kill them. The man unwillingly complied, but only after mumbling a few swears under his breath.

Clint watched them disappear from his sight and only then, he lowered his bow. He walked over to the tree the arrow was sticking out of and as he pulled it out with a grunt, he muttered, "Piece of crap."

He put the arrow back in his quiver and made his way back to the deer den to make sure the family was alright after this whole event. Thankfully, they were. The bullet seemed to completely miss the buck as he didn't appear injured in any way.

Clint couldn't help but let out another breath of relief.

For a while, Clint observed them from a distance with a smile. They were a sweet family, and he was going to continue keeping a close eye on these guys, just in case. Clint didn't want anything bad to happen to them if he could help it.

He lightly laughed to himself after finally realizing something. He realized that _he_ was most attached to these deer, even more than the kids were.

His laugh, however, made the deer aware of his position. As they twisted their heads in his direction, Clint nodded at them from his spot of leaning against a distant tree.

But they were so used to Clint hanging around that they continued to go about their business as if he wasn't there. It took probably an hour or two, but Clint didn't leave the deer until he was sure the hunters wouldn't come back today. He had to be back for dinner however, so he eventually started heading home.

When he walked into the house, he took off his muddy boots and placed his bow and quiver on a rack near the door. As soon as he entered, the aroma of homemade beef stew filled the air. It didn't take long for him to find Laura turning off the heat to the pot.

She turned around and saw him, instantly smiling. "Just in time, Hawkeye. That's rare."

"I know. I think it deserves to be celebrated." He smirked and he leaned in to kiss her.

She quickly returned the kiss before going back to her stew. "Can you set the table?"

"Sure thing," Clint compiled and started setting up the places, eventually handing the bowls to Laura so she could fill them with stew.

It didn't take long before the kids noticed that dinner was ready and Clint was back, so they rushed into the kitchen and ran up to them.

"Are they okay, daddy?" Lila asked, worried.

Clint smiled and placed two bowls on the table. "Yes, they're fine. There was a close call, but they are okay."

Lila was relieved at that information while Cooper was simply intrigued. "What was the close call?"

"Just some hunters who were trespassing and getting on my nerves." Clint replied as he got two more bowls of soup. "Get the milk from the fridge, please." He directed to Cooper and he nodded, following his orders.

"What happened? Did you shoot them like the guy last year?" Cooper smirked as he got some cups along with the milk.

"He better _not_ have," Laura threatened as they all made their way to the table to sit down.

Clint laughed, "Don't worry, I didn't shoot him. I may have slightly grazed him, but I didn't _shoot_ him."

Laura raised her eyebrows. "I'll be the judge of that. But before you explain what happened, it's time for grace." She responded as the Barton family held hands around the table.

As far as Clint was concerned, that man deserved what he got. He should have known better than to mess with family.

* * *

 **You know what's funny? This was _supposed_ to be the only chapter in this FanFiction. This story was originally supposed to have the title: Hunting Season and was simply supposed to be a one-shot. Then I decided, "Well, this could become a five-shot to add in some background with the Barton's and deer's relationship..." and somehow along the line, it turned into this 23 chapter and continuing story about the deer, the Barton's many relationships, the fluff, and even hardships in their lives. I don't quite know how it got to this point, but hey, I'm glad I've gotten so far:)**

 **So I hope you enjoyed this one-shot particularly because this is the one-shot that started it all!:)**

 **And to Candymouse22: Honestly, Sheriff Jim in this story wasn't originally a nod to Stranger Things, but I do love Sheriff Jim Hopper... So now he isXD Thanks for pointing that out, it makes my small town sheriff so much better in my opinion:P**


	24. Psychopath (Pt3)

"I'm telling you, that Clint guy is a psychopath," Derek said as he slapped his hands on the Sheriff's desk, leaning forward to appear intimidating and get his point through that sheriff's hat of his.

Sheriff Jim, however, wasn't intimidated in the least. He simply looked up from his paperwork of sorting out the bar fight from the night before, glasses over his eyes but clearly showing his raised eyebrow. "Because he threatened to take action against you guys for being caught _illegally_ hunting on his property?"

"He threatened us with an arrow drawn to our damn faces!" Derek yelled while Lewis simply leaned against a far wall. He hadn't contributed much to this conversation because honestly, Lewis wanted to get as far away from this town as possible. For now, he simply stood off to the side as Derek and the Sheriff discussed this matter.

"Well it's a much more effective form of intimidation than whatever form you're trying to use," Jim said as he closed the file and evened out the papers inside by tapping it lightly on the table.

Derek took his hands off of the table and let out a grunt of annoyance. "There's something wrong with that Clint guy, can't you see it? He literally hinted that he hunted people!"

Jim laughed at that as he stood up and made his way to a nearby filing cabinet. "Yeah, he does have a unique sense of humor. He was only messing with you, I told you that he loathed people hunting on his property. You chose the wrong land to accidentally wander into."

"He sounded dead serious, if I might add," Lewis decided to contribute a little. He didn't like the way Clint acted either, something about the guy in the forest put Lewis on edge.

"I told you, he's really good at that intimidation thing. Much better than you guys," He mumbled while opening a filing cabinet to put the manila folder away.

"He literally shot an arrow at the back of my head! He could have killed me!" Derek said as he pointed at the tiny scratch the arrow made on his face.

Jim only briefly glanced at it before going back to sorting. "Be glad he just gave you a scratch. He's an excellent marksman, I've seen him at his finest. If he wanted to shoot you in the head, he would have, but in reality he wouldn't kill anyone. The farthest he'd go would be to shoot you in the leg like the idiot last year, so be happy you're not that guy."

Derek raised his eyebrows high as he slammed the cabinet door closed, nearly slamming Jim's hand in the door if his reflexes weren't fast enough. "Wait, you're saying that _crazy_ _Clint_ shot someone in the leg!? You don't find that questionable?!"

Jim glared up at Derek for shutting the cabinet on him and almost his hand. "Yeah, I don't find it questionable because that guy was doing some mad illegal shit on the Barton's property, and when Clint confronted him, he was being the biggest jerk you can imagine. That situation is sorted out anyway, so I think nothing of it," He deadpan responded as he opened the cabinet once again and wondered why the hell he was keeping this guy in his office.

With the man that Clint shot in the leg, they had to make a deal with him: Not to press charges on Clint for shooting him and no one would find out about the 'illegal hunting materials' he used. It may not have been the most lawful thing to do, but this was a small town where everyone looked out for each other. Jim knew Clint was a good man, so he was willing to go outside of the law for that instance to make sure he didn't land in jail for something that could get sorted out between a few people. Clint had a family, Jim would hate for him to go to jail for something as stupid as that when there wasn't any lasting damage.

"Clint's a good man," Jim reiterated as he finally found the right spot to place his paperwork, effortlessly sliding it in. "It's just not a smart idea to get on his bad side."

"Because he's a psychopath who shoots arrows at people," Derek said as he still tried to convince this Sheriff of his belief. "Seriously? Do you _not_ think that guy is crazy in _any_ way?"

Jim thought for a long and hard moment as he closed the drawer. "No, not really," He finally shrugged.

Derek let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed by this man's closed mind on this matter. He was about to continue trying to persuade Jim of Clint being crazy when Lewis spoke up again. "Honestly Derek, just let it go. Whether or not this guy is mental, I don't want to cross his path again."

"That reminds me," The Sheriff said before moving over to open the door to his office, a firm hand placed on the open door frame. "I do have to request you two leave town."

"Why?" Derek asked through narrowed eyes.

"You openly admitted to hunting on private property in the area. Whether you meant to or not, you guys were breaking the law. But being a small town, we're lenient people. You have until tomorrow morning to leave before I fine you or give you time in this quaint jail."

Derek ran a hand through his messy auburn hair, still annoyed to no end as they were clearly being motioned to leave his office through the Sheriff's body language near the opened door. As the two brothers made their way out, Derek simply grunted in aggravation once more.

Jim shook his head at the two. "Listen, if I were you, I would just leave town and be glad Clint isn't pressing any charges. If he does run into you two again, I can tell your next meeting will be ten times worse. And I know you don't want to see that. It was nice chatting with you," He said monotone before closing the door to his office and leaving the brothers to exit the building on their own.

As they sat in their truck, Derek hit the steering wheel with all his might causing the truck to shake.

Lewis shook his head as he noticed his brother's anger. "Look, we're not going to get Clint to pay for the crap he pulled back there, you can't prove he's crazy to the authorities without incriminating ourselves. So let's just leave town now before he decides to press charges or shoot us."

Derek glared at his brother for a brief moment before letting out a sigh. He started up the truck and they made their way back to the small motel they were staying in, not far down the road. "No," He simply replied. "He'll pay for that crap. Even if I have to get shot in the leg for doing it. He'll pay, whether it's with the authorities or not."

Lewis fixed the baseball cap on his head as he glanced at Derek. He knew his brother always had anger management issues, and Lewis knew from experience that there was little chance of stopping him when he was planning a way to get back at someone. Revenge was one of his favorite games to play.

But this was one time Lewis really didn't think it was a good idea to wage into a war. It was going to take a lot to convince Derek not to take matters into his own hands but Lewis knew he had to try. If he couldn't stop his brother, he knew this was one mess he didn't want to get involved deeper into. He could tell, it would only end badly.

* * *

"What's that term your kids use?" Sheriff Jim asked as he tried to think of the word he was thinking of. "Salty? Is that right? I think they were just a bit 'salty' about what happened and tried to convince me you were a psychopath."

"I don't know how to use those terms either," Clint couldn't help but let out a laugh at his friend trying to use it properly while explaining to him what happened earlier that day when the two hunters came into his office. "But I guess I did freak them out pretty good. They were shooting at the deer, and you know how my family feels about them. If something happened to them, I'd never forgive myself."

"Well, you effectively freaked them out," Jim said as he switched the ear his phone leaned against. "Are you sure you don't want to press charges? They were trespassing after all."

Clint shook his head. "That's way too much work, just make sure they leave town and all will be forgiven," He lied. He would have _loved_ to press charges against those idiots, but he didn't want a 'Clint Barton' in the state's police records. That would make it easy for a dangerous man to find out where he and his family lived. If worse comes to worst, he could always get Tony to hack and cover up the file under a different name or delete it all together, but he'd prefer to not make a scene. That was always the best way to stay below the radar.

"I told them they have until tomorrow morning to book it, so I'll keep an eye out and let you know when they go."

As Clint replied, he heard the familiar creak of his front door open. He looked over to the next room and expected to see Laura walking inside but found Wanda instead. With a satchel over her shoulder, she put the extra pair of house keys they'd given her into it. She gave Clint a little wave and he smiled back before finishing his phone conversation. "Thank you, Jim. I'll keep an extra eye out until then too. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Talk to you then," Jim nodded and hung up his line, Clint doing the same as he slipped the phone back into his pocket and walked over to where Wanda was taking off her boots.

"Hey Wanda," Clint greeted as she hung her coat on the rack. The weather here had been a bit chilly for fall so it was cold enough to need one. "I didn't know you were coming by."

"Well," She began to explain, "We suddenly have a few free days because 'Trainers Rogers and Romanoff' were called away on a mission. I thought I'd surprise you guys."

"Called away on a mission and they didn't invite me?" Clint smirked. He was sure he wasn't missing out on much, it was probably a simple touch and go, time sensitive mission.

Wanda shrugged. "Fury mentioned something about it taking too long to get you over there and not enough time to waste. I'm sure they're disappointed you couldn't join them," She joked.

"Well I have my own mission to deal with here, anyways," Clint commented as Wanda plopped herself down onto the couch, seeming to sink right in from her aching bones after training.

"A mission?" Wanda raised an eyebrow before laughing as she realized it wasn't an actual mission from Fury. "Mind if I join you? You shouldn't go on missions alone, you know. And I might as well get in some field experience..."

"If you're up to dealing with some hunters and making sure they never come back to hurt the deer..." Clint smirk as he, too, got comfortable in the living room's recliner.

Wanda gave Clint a devious grin at the sound of that. "I'm in."


	25. Lessons Learned (Pt4)

"What did you guys do as kids?" Clint asked in disbelief as he perched himself on the top of a tree branch, at least fifteen feet above Wanda's head. "Didn't you climb trees at all?"

Wanda answered as she struggled to reach another branch, "No, not really. It wasn't really my thing, but Pietro loved to. He'd always throw sticks and leaves down at me when I tried to read under the trees he climbed."

Clint smiled at the image of a younger version of the twins messing with each other. Pietro would totally do something like that to annoy his sister, it was like the shenanigans Lila and Cooper played on each other.

He held back a laugh as he noticed Wanda test each branch for a solid minute before climbing on them, afraid it would break under her. "Then I guess I'll have to give you a climbing lesson sometime if you're worried about each branch breaking."

"How are you so sure they _won't_ break under your weight?"

"Are you calling me fat?" Clint pretended to be insulted with a grin still present on his face. "I can be as light as a feather if I want to be."

This time, Wanda laughed at his defense. "Then why do you always manage to break your bones on missions from _'falling out of trees,'_ according to Natasha?"

"No time to become that feather," He simply shrugged as Wanda slowly made her way up the tree while shaking her head at him.

After another minute where she focused on advancing up the tree, she said, "You know, I could just fly myself up this. It's way faster."

"I'm sure it is," Clint replied. "But you need to gain upper body strength anyways. Climbing a tree is a good exercise. Consider this a training exercise."

"Whatever you say, _T_ _rainer Barton_ ," She mocked as she made it up another branch. Technically, Clint wasn't a trainer, only Steve and Natasha were because they were in constantly working with her and the team. Clint would come around occasionally to see their skills tested, join in on teaching some exercises, and throw around some punches, but since he didn't come around very often from spending most of his free time with his growing family, Natasha and Steve refused to officially name him a trainer.

Wanda was aware that they were really only refusing to acknowledge Clint as a trainer to mess with their friend, who dropped a mention of wanting to be an official trainer at least once a week, but he didn't need to know that...

Clint narrowed his eyes down at Wanda from her mocking and warned, "I can always call up your real trainer, who I'm best friends with, and get her to tell you the same thing." He knew Wanda was joking with him all in good fun after his many attempts to obtain the trainer title for this new Avengers team, but he couldn't help but mess with her back.

After a silent moment of thought, Wanda replied, " _Okay_ , I'll climb." Him all honesty, knew he was right either way. Natasha _would_ tell her the same thing, that climbing a tree would help replace her missing gym session, and even though she was currently on a mission Wanda had the feeling Clint could still manage to get hold of her. It was always best to avoid getting the direct order from her boss to do work.

"Good choice," Clint smirked as she finally made her way to a branch that was level to Clint's but on the opposite side of the tree trunk. She got herself comfortable and they simply waited.

Last night they debated on what they should do if the hunters came back. They could have set up traps for them within the forest to prevent them from getting too close, but then the deer had the chance of falling into them too so Clint didn't want to risk it.

They could have hunted down the hunters, but they might not even come back so it would be pointless. And what if they did come back but they weren't there to protect the deer when the hunters found them. No, they couldn't risk that either.

The best route seemed to simply guard the deer on the ground below, waiting for the call from Jim to confirm that the hunters were leaving town. But of course Clint had to take some precautions, so he currently had his bow and quiver on him. Just in case of trouble.

As they kept a watchful eye, they caught up on how each other's weeks were going. Clint asked about Wanda's training, since he hadn't gotten an update from Natasha before her sudden mission disappearance. Clint couldn't help but smile at the training exercises they did, and sometimes failed because they were all still learning. He could tell Natasha a Steve were pushing them hard, but they were all surviving and making the most of it.

It was also nice to hear that Sam's humor seemed to be rubbing off on her, and that they were getting along swimmingly. Clint also couldn't help but notice she was getting along very well with Vision. Clint was a perceptive man, and he could tell she was especially taking a liking to him, nicknaming him 'Vis' and blushing ever so slightly when discussing him… She was developing her very first crush, he could tell. He didn't even think she was aware of her crush yet, but soon she would be…

He made a mental note to keep tabs on how their relationship grew in the future.

In response to sharing her week, Clint shared his. From the kids being back at school to explaining this current hunting mess in more depth, it had been a pretty eventful one.

As they talked, Clint felt a vibration in his pocket. Taking out his phone, he answered, "Hey Jim."

"Hey Clint. I kept an eye on the troublemakers. They packed up and just left town a few minutes ago."

"Thanks for the update, Sheriff," Clint smiled. He was glad to finally have confirmation they were leaving. Hopefully now the deer can live in peace for the rest of this season.

"I'll leave you to your watch then," Jim replied back, knowing that Clint was likely watching the deer now. He didn't even have to ask if he was because he knew Clint that well.

As their brief conversation ended, Wanda asked, "So what's the story?"

Clint repositioned himself so his feet hung off his branch. "The Sheriff just let me know the hunters are leaving town. We should be in the clear, but let's stick around awhile just to make sure they aren't coming back."

"You got it, team leader," Wanda joked while leaning her back against the trunk of the tree and extending one leg comfortable on the branch, letting the other one hang off. Looking down at the deer in the distance, she had to admit that it was surprisingly comfortable to sit high above the ground in a tree. She never thought it would have been, but now she understood why Clint did it. It was calming to get a bird's-eye view, no one able to sneak up on them.

Except someone was. They were so caught up in their conversation and relaxation that they didn't even notice the man crouching in the nearby bushes.

Derek. He noticed the two in the tree and listened in a bit on their uneventful conversation, pointing his rifle in their direction.

But that was just for show, really. If he was being honest with himself, he wouldn't _actually_ shoot Crazy Clint, no matter how much he would like to in order to get back at him.

So what if he had been on Clint's property hunting? If only this dude didn't spend his life in the forest, he wouldn't have noticed a single deer gone. He was sure there were plenty in the area, and plus, that one's antlers were phenomenal. It had so many branches, that crown upon it's head was beautiful, and he was sure to get some attention from his fellow hunters with a trophy like that.

As he aimed his rifle at the guy perched in the tree, finger nowhere near the trigger, he honestly didn't think through what type of revenge he wanted to get on this guy.

That was one of Derek's problems, he often didn't think his revenge plans through. He always seemed to make one in the heat of the moment, and those didn't always end well.

Maybe he could put a bullet through that branch he sat upon, making it snap and have him fall thirty feet. That would be satisfying enough for him, he could book it and drive off with Lewis before Clint could even recover. _That_ was a fun idea, one that put a smile on his face, but he also knew that he wasn't the best marksman and could potentially hit him or that girl he was with on accident.

Maybe Derek would have just left. After Lewis tried desperately for hours to convince him not to do anything rash, he finally agreed he wouldn't, or at least he would try. Lewis was currently waiting in the truck just off the main road because it was clear he was avoiding another interaction with Clint. But in this moment, Derek had the power to shoot at Clint the way he had shot at him, but was sane enough to actually _not_ do it. That was almost satisfaction enough.

Then again, when he noticed the buck after following Clint's gaze, his priorities changed.

He saw those antlers once again sticking out from the fall underbrush, and he simply couldn't resist. It was close enough, he could gain those antlers and maybe some money, but if not he could simply be proud to have brought down one of the things that got him in this mess.

But he shot before thinking of the consequences of doing it while Crazy Clint was in range. That was a huge mistake.

And Clint wasn't fast enough to realize something was wrong until it was too late. He had watched the deer carefully and noticed the Buck on edge. It all happened so fast, Clint noticing his ears perk up and bolt right before the loud gunshot rang out, the doe and fawn hiding themselves further into their den.

Immediately, Clint turned around in his spot and brought out the bow from his back while nocking an arrow. He saw Derek crouching behind bushes with his gun smoking from the shot. But as soon as he realized he made a mistake to fire at the deer with Clint around, his eyes widened and he quickly stumbled backwards and started sprinting away.

The antlers seemed significantly less important now that he was running for his life.

Furious at Derek for even _daring_ to return but at firing again at the Buck, Clint couldn't help but let a few arrows fly, all of them scraping Derek that would cause some annoying and messy injuries to clean up later, but they were injuries that would still allow him to run back towards the main road. Of course Clint wanted the man to leave as fast as possible with avoiding more lawsuits in the back of his mind, but he would have been glad to have purposely shoot his leg too.

Right now, he just wanted to make Derek run. He wanted to make sure this hunter was scared enough to never come back.

Clint started climbing down the tree, basically dropping from it in order to reach the ground faster. He was about to chase after him, to make sure they really did leave town this time, when he heard Wanda shouting.

"Clint! Come over here!"

In his rage he hadn't even noticed Wanda was down from the tree and further into the forest. He had to assume she followed Bucky when he bolted. But there was worry clear in her voice and Clint knew that something was wrong.

Cursing under his breath, as he looked back at where the hunter disappeared, put his arrow into his quiver, and ran to Wanda.

She was staring the deer dead in the face, one of her hands held out in front of her as she and the deer both seemed to stand ready for another attack. But none came, only Clint as he kept his distance from the both of them.

"He's hurt," Wanda said evenly as she continued to stare at this deer.

Clint studied Bucky, soon finding her to be right. On the top of his back was a long cut from where the bullet grazed him. It must have bolted right on time to avoid worse damage, but it was clearly hurt and freaked out by the way his body shook and the blood ran down his side.

"Crap…" Clint mumbled under his breath.

"What should we do?" Wanda asked, unsure herself as she didn't dare move a muscle from her spot.

Clint was about to answer when he realized, he frankly had no clue on what to do. This was a deer, not a human. How would they even be able to properly patch him up? It was still a wild animal no matter how used to their presence the deer had gotten, it wouldn't be able to cooperate with their efforts in helping. They didn't know how bad the cut was, they didn't know how to properly fix it, and it's not like vets were nearby and often helped injured, grown deer during hunting season.

Wanda sensed that he was clueless and instead asked, "Do you think we _should_ help him?"

That was a better question to ask. Honestly, maybe not. Clint knew stitching him up wasn't a option because sedation would only freak the deer out more and Clint was right, this is a deer not a human. Deer can heal on their own. They can survive many injuries in the wild, such as certain broken legs which can leave them near immobile, so it's likely Bucky can heal from this too. If it's minor enough, any animal can, but there was no way to tell the severity from this far away. Even with his hawk eyes.

"If I can get a closer look, then we may not need to help," Clint simply responded with the only answer he had.

After he said that, Wanda simply continued making eye contact with the animal, as if in thought. She'd never done anything like this before but maybe… just maybe…

Small red wisps came out of her hands, and the same soon surrounded the deer who seemed oblivious to it. Clint raised his eyebrows as she slowly started walking towards the buck, who didn't run or even back away an inch. She didn't stop until she was literally two feet away from him. She had never been so close to one before and it was absolutely surreal how she could reach out and pet it if she wanted, but she didn't dare. Instead, she simply looked at Clint a motioned him to come over.

And he did, very slowly and quietly, still not sure what she was doing but whatever it was, he was finally able to get a good look at the graze. It must have hurt like hell, there seemed to be a small chunk of fur and skin off of him causing the steady flow of blood, but the blood did seem to be slowing. It looked worse than it was, Clint had had many similar injuries in the past and honestly, this deer could probably get by with not needing any help. Time could heal this wound.

As Clint backed off again, Wanda did the same. When they were far enough away, she stopped using her powers and almost instantly the animal dashed off.

"What was that?" Clint asked, wondering what the heck she just did to get the animal to stand that still so they could near it.

Wanda was surprisingly shocked it worked and she replied, "I tested to see if my power of illusion could be used on him. I tried to make him feel as if nothing was wrong and make it content with staying where he was," She paused for a moment to gather her scrambled thoughts. "I guess it worked…"

"Well," Clint said, equally as surprised, "I guess we can add 'animal whisperer' to your list of powers…"

* * *

Clint was glad the hunters left town for good after that incident, he hadn't seen them since. He would never know if they would be back in the future, but based on how they straight up left town after another run in with him, it was safe to say they wouldn't be back any time soon. And that was for the best to make sure Clint didn't properly shoot them in the legs. Afterall, he had come close.

It had been a couple days since that incident and Clint was currently positioned in the same tree, watching the family go about their daily lives. He still wanted to keep a careful eye on them, to make sure Bucky's injury healed without issue or infection.

The first few days, Wanda joined him. She tried to hone her powers by using them on Bucky and make the first steps of the healing process easier. His injury clearly hurt, so she did her best to take away some of the pain of the injury by setting a calm mindset on him. It seemed to work, by how normal the deer acted when she was around, and it helped the worst of the storm.

All in all, Bucky seemed to be doing just fine, and that was enough to keep a smile on his face.

And if the hunters ever did return, Clint would make sure those two idiots learned never to mess with the crazy, Clint Barton.

* * *

 **And that's the end of our first mini story!:) I'd love to hear your thoughts and maybe there will be more in the future if you guys want to read them. Thanks for reading this continuing story!:D**


	26. Mmm, Music

**Highly recommend listening to the song cover of _Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by Jeremy Renner._ You don't need to listen to it to understand this one-shot, but it totally enhances it:)**

* * *

Wanda couldn't help but flinch. She had never heard that sound before in the Barton's household, so of course she was startled and wondered what the heck it was.

But after the initial shock passed, it was easy to recognize the sound of a piano playing simple scales. Whoever was behind it was apparently testing the instrument to make sure it was still in tune.

As the light sound of scales continued to ring throughout the house, Wanda continued writing her text message to Sam. By the time she sent it, she heard that the scales were done and whoever played had apparently moved onto a song she didn't recognize. They still seemed to be messing around with the chords however, since she could tell it didn't quite have a designated flow yet.

For a minute, she simply sat on her bed and listened to the melodic sounds. It was clear by the song trying to be played that it wasn't a happy one, it seemed to have sad undertones. Either way, it still sounded beautiful.

From the ground floor guest room Wanda always stayed in, she could hear the music pretty well. The bedroom was in a hallway leading to the back of the house, and in the back corner of this house there was a little music room. Wanda had walked past the music room multiple times, seeing the black grand piano, the two acoustic guitars on stands, and a futon in a little comfortable sitting area. It was a cute set up and when she had asked about the room in the past, Clint explained that Laura played the piano excellently and the family would occasionally have music nights. The kids even took lessons from her, Lila having more of an interest in the piano while Cooper the guitar, but in all the months she's visited, she'd never seen the room in use.

Until now.

So she wasn't going to waste her opportunity to witness it, and got up from her spot as the song actually seemed to be progressing like it should, with few mistakes. After she opened her door, she silently made her way down the hall so she could get a discreet glance at Laura playing, now hearing for herself why Clint said she played excellently.

Before she turned the corner, she started to hear a light humming to accompany the tune. Her jaw dropped as she realized that the person playing the piano wasn't Laura. It was totally Clint.

Turning the corner fully, she saw his back as his fingers glided effortlessly along the piano, unaware that he was being watched as he seemed lost in his own music.

Wanda never expected _this_ from 'The Great Hawkeye.'

And she didn't expect him to progress even further, going from humming to singing a second later.

" _Once, there was a kid who-_

 _Got into an accident and couldn't come to school_

 _But when- he finally came back,_

 _His, hair, had turned from black into bright white,_

 _He said that it was from when the cars had smashed him so- hard…."_

Clint sang out this story as he started humming once more. Wanda never expected... Amazing singing to come out of this archer. He never mentioned he sang or played the piano, he only ever told Wanda about Laura and the kids doing it, so hearing this unfold was a huge shock.

She was shocked even further as she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning back to see Natasha with a cup of coffee in hand. She gave a smile and motioned for Wanda to follow her, the two now sitting on the futon while Clint continued singing the next verse.

" _Once, there was this girl who-_

 _Wouldn't go and change with the girls in the change room_

 _But when- they finally made her,_

 _They, saw, birthmarks all over her body,_

 _She couldn't quite explain it they'd always just been- there…"_

As Natasha sipped her drink without a sound, Wanda looked over and mouthed the words, " _Did you know he could do this?"_

She simply replied with a smirk and a slight nod of her head. She seemed to want to tell her something else, but decided against it for the moment and they both decided to sit back and enjoy the show.

" _But both the girl and the boy were glad,_

' _Cause one kid had it worse than that…_

' _Cause then, there was this boy whose_

 _Parents made him come directly home right after school,_

 _And when- they went to their church,_

 _They, shook, and lurched all over the church floor,_

 _He couldn't quite explain it, they'd just always gone- there…"_

Clint finished his song off with more hums filling the air. The two didn't bother to interrupt him in his moment as they simply sat and relaxed with the melodic sound for minutes on end.

Wanda didn't even know how to gauge how much calming time passed, not even when it was interrupted by him speaking over his piano playing. "Did you make me any coffee, Natasha?" He asked without any pauses in the music or turning around to see Natasha sitting on the futon.

"Oh no," Natasha replied to her friend in between mouthfuls from her mug. "I didn't make extra that's sitting warm in the pot right now."

Clint smiled at the thought of coffee waiting for him, but continued to play the melody of the past song on a loop instead of getting up to get some. For once, coffee could wait. Right now, he just wanted the rhythmic patterns of his fingers sliding along the keys to continue easing his stress from the intense events of his recent mission. He occasionally experimented with humming harmonies, but all in all, the three of them mainly just took in the music. It seemed to calm every bit of previous anxiety they all had.

But Wanda couldn't help but notice how Clint didn't turn around to see if it really _was_ Natasha when she witnessed this interaction occur, so she had no idea how he knew it was her. It must have been a sixth sense after years of being a spy, knowing who was in the room without turning his back, or he simply knew Natasha that well.

The latter was the more accurate explanation. Clint didn't even realize others were in the room until halfway through the song, it was the smell of coffee that did it for him. He knew Laura never drank coffee past early morning, and being dusk right now, he knew it had to be Natasha. He didn't plan on having an audience for his personal stress relief concert, but he thought he might as well finish the song instead of stopping part way.

Turning around in his seat, Clint decided it was a good idea to take in his bearings and figure out if anyone else had witnessed his playing. He found Wanda sitting next to Natasha and mentally sighed.

It was rare he played music or sang for anyone except his family and Natasha, it was a very private thing that Clint held near and dear to his heart, but he knew going into this that Wanda would overhear him if he played. She _was_ visiting after all. Today was just a day he needed a moment to play and escape, even if he knew she would discover one of his many secrets. After the mission Natasha and he came back from a day ago, he needed a way to calm his nerves down.

Wanda was bound to overhear it one day, with her visiting so often, and he was fine with letting her in on this one secret since she was basically part of the family now. He just hated explaining everything.

He knew what questions were coming.

"Is it too late to say that I can't sing?" He asked rhetorically, mainly to break the silence of Wanda staring at Clint with wide eyes.

In the end she ended up ignoring his comment as she spoke herself. "Clint," She almost complained, "Why didn't you tell me you can do that!? That was amazing!"

Clint couldn't help but smile a bit at the compliment but Natasha answered before he could say anything else. "Yeah, he always fails to mention his random abilities to the others…"

"Hey, don't throw me under the bus or I'm taking you with me," Clint warned before turning back to Wanda. "Tasha ever tell you she could sing rather beautifully?"

Natasha gave Clint a death glare as she thought about tossing her hot coffee at her friend. The only thing holding her back was she didn't want to ruin the piano behind him, otherwise she wouldn't have hesitated.

Wanda almost laughed. "Seriously?" Somehow she couldn't picture that master spy singing, even after being proven wrong once by Clint. "Now I'm curious…" She tried to guilt trip Natasha into spilling her abilities too.

"Yeah, too bad you'll never hear it," She said while still giving Clint a glare as she drank her coffee.

"Aw, come on," Wanda tried to persuade her to no avail.

"Yeah, she's even more particular on who she sings for. She'll only sing when needed. I only heard her once outside of a mission," Clint commented as he thought back to the moments he'd heard her sing in the few missions they had in the past. The ones where they sang were always the most fun.

Wanda's jaw dropped a bit. "Wait, you guys go on missions where you _sing_?"

Clint shrugged. "Spies need many skill sets, but it was only once or twice."

"Barcelona was my favorite," Natasha said as she had a slight smile grace her lips from the memory.

"Oh yeah," Clint remembered and snapped his fingers. "That was the 'Tag Team' mission, right? Man that was ages ago…"

"What's the _'Tag Team'_ mission?" Wanda asked, only growing more curious at their reminiscing.

They shared a smirk before Clint explained. "Tag Team was our stage name. We had to get a job at an underground casino, as in a 'very shady one where they were bartering for more than just money' casino. We had to shut it down, so we went undercover and applied for work, getting a job of entertainment committee. Aka, we became their new two person band willing to work for cheap, which is probably why they hired us in the first place…"

Natasha continued. "They didn't even know we were stealing their secrets from under their noses, but we just did our thing and nobody really caused any trouble with us. That was one reason why it was so enjoyable. Plus, the tips were good."

"It was fun to have an excuse to accompany you on the piano for a week straight," Clint said to his friend before turning back to Wanda. "She does sing amazingly, you have to hear her one day."

"Was that the mission where Natasha taught you to dance?" Laura surprised everyone with her input as she walked into the room. She ended up sitting next to Wanda on the futon as they shared a glance. "My efforts had been fruitless up until she got to him."

Natasha noticed Wanda's confused look by the mention of that so she elaborated, "We had to keep up the 'couple' illusion from our backstory. People from the casino were constantly watching us, making sure our backstory held up and we weren't spies. We set up a fake date when we knew they were watching and I took this buffoon dancing."

Wanda raised an eyebrow at that before looking to Laura. "You allow Fury to use those backstories since, you know, you two are married?" She said pointing to her and Clint.

Laura laughed as if the answer to her question was obvious. "Marriage is about trust, Wanda. I trust Clint will be loyal and I trust him to look out for Natasha too. Fury doesn't assign him that backstory with just anyone, only to people he knows has his back. Natasha is one of the few and I know his main reason for using that backstory is that it allows them to stay closer, and stay safer. That's always the best route to take, even if it means they have to fake a relationship," She finished and shared a smile with her husband who sat on the piano stool across from her. They both knew, neither would do anything to betray one another. Betrayal wasn't Laura's business, and Clint was sick and tired of betrayal after knowing it his whole life.

"I guess that's true…" Wanda nodded as she frankly knew nothing about relationships. She had never had a boyfriend since she never got to know any guys her age. The only guy she ever needed was Pietro. She never even recalled having a crush before.

Had she ever had a crush? She was still trying to sort that out as her current emotions were confusing the heck out of her. She didn't even want to start thinking about the conflictions she felt as they made her head spin, so she simply switched topics. "Clint never knew how to dance?"

"Nope," Laura said while crossing her legs to get more comfortable in the couch. "I've tried teaching him when we were still dating, took him out dancing a few times but he could never get the hang of it."

"He stepped on my feet at least a hundred times that night in Barcelona," Natasha noted. "It took a few shoves to knock him into figuring it out."

"At least I'm good at it now," Clint said to try and fish his friends for a compliment of how much he's improved, but the response he got was laughter by both women.

"Getting better is not the same thing as being good, Clint," Natasha smirked.

"You've improved for sure but you still have a lot to be desired," Laura responded.

Clint raised his eyebrows. "I have a lot to be desired, huh?" He said before standing up from his seat and walking over to where his wife sat, extending his hand out to her. "Maybe I need another lesson."

Laura lightly slapped his hand away, but she couldn't hide the slight blushing of her cheeks as she looked away. "Oh, stop it. Now's hardly the time for dancing."

"And why not?" Natasha smirked as she placed her coffee down on the side table and sat down at the piano. She cracked her knuckles before her hands took position hovering above the keys. It was as if she was trying to decide what to do.

After a moment, she'd decided as her fingers started to glide along the keys effortlessly while playing one of her favorite Russian overtures. It was complex, beautiful, and she seemed to play it as if she had practiced it for years, despite not touching a piano in over one. Even though this was one of the many skills she'd learned in the Red Room, having to practice this very overture until her hands cramped and fingers grew callous and bled, she couldn't help but love the way the piece was arranged even though there were negative memories associated with it. The song couldn't help but grow on her the more times she played it in a happier setting, and she could tell that today she would gain a new memory to help cover up the old.

She couldn't help but have a genuine smile creep onto her face as she watched Clint take Laura's hand from the corner of her eye and basically start galloping around the room with his wife in a melody he's heard her play numerous times before. She couldn't help but smile equally at the way he stumbled every so often in their routine, but he still had his own grin while looking his wife in the eyes.

And as the upbeat song switched tones and the two's dancing slowed to match, even Wanda couldn't stop the contagious grin in the air as she saw Laura lay her head on her husband's chest, eyes closing as she felt Clint tenderly kiss the top of her head while they continued to slowly dance.

This was what a family was like. It had been so long that Wanda had almost forgotten the nights when she watched her mom and dad dance around their Sokovian home to the songs on the radio. The nights when Pietro would take her own hands and they would pretend to know how to dance as they basically ran around their parent's feet until they ran out of energy and simply fell down onto the plush carpet, laughing like the five year olds they were.

This was what a tightly knit family looked like. Felt like. This was the type of family she missed being a part of. These were the smiles she missed seeing on everyone's faces, including her own.

She didn't even realize how much she'd missed this until Laura and Clint invited her over, quickly realizing she had no clue how to dance either, and started taking turns teaching her how to dance herself. She was even able to test her new skills with Lila and Cooper as they eventually came down to the music room to see what the commotion was about, despite the homework they should be doing. They took turns with her once she got the hang of the basic steps, both excited to have their honorary sister join them in dancing to Auntie Nat's music.

Yes, this was what having a family was like. This was a family she loved being a part of.

* * *

 **I can't lie, I've been obsessed with the song referenced in this one-shot ever since I saw the movie _Tag_ with Jeremy Renner. I thought that 'why not let a little bit of the actor's personality seep into his Hawkeye character and have Hawkeye enjoy singing from time to time?**'

 **This chapter has a little different of a set up with the lyrics embedded into it, but sometimes it's fun to try something new and this song does tell a story I think Clint and the Avengers could relate to a bit.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!:)**


	27. Giving Thanks

Clint hadn't been able to spend Thanksgiving with his family in years. There was always a hydra base discovered or terrorist organization that needed to be taken down at the same convenient time, so just being able to spend this year with his family made the holiday even more special.

His family would always postpone the Thanksgiving dinner until Clint was back from his missions anyway, so either way he still spent the holiday with his family. But there was just the feeling of being home on the actual day that made it extra special.

Thanksgiving was the most important holiday for the Bartons. For most families it's Christmas or Easter, but for the them, it was the simple holiday where they gave thanks. There was a lot to be thankful for, especially in this crazy family, and being able to spend time with each other and remember what was important in their messy lives was a special way to bond.

The dinner wasn't even the best part of the day. Sure it was delicious, but everyone's favorite moment was when they sat around the living room with the jar in the center.

The jar had many pieces of colorful paper in it. Each person had a different colored paper and throughout the month of November, whenever someone thought of something they were thankful for, they wrote it down on a piece and slipped it into the jar. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, they would have a jar full of them and after dinner they would gather in the living room and read aloud whatever they were thankful for. It was a tradition they started years ago when Clint missed his first family thanksgiving due to a mission. This way, they could still have a proper celebration of thanks whenever he came home.

But besides having the celebration on the actual day making this year special, it was the fact that Natasha and Wanda joined in on their tradition that made it better.

All the Avengers were spending time with the other people they loved. Tony was spending the day with Pepper, Sam was spending it with some close friends in his support group, Steve… Nobody was positive where he went, but the Avengers had a feeling he went to visit Peggy. Vision was invited to spend the holiday with the Barton's, but he didn't understand the significance of this day being special when you could give thanks everyday, and instead decided to stay in the peace and quiet of the training facility. Rhodey was spending the day with some of his "military mates," and Fury… Clint knew better than to ask what he was doing. He already knew the answer: Work. He rarely took time off.

But Natasha and Wanda deciding to be a part of their family and spend the holiday with them was heartwarming enough. It made the day even more special knowing that they were also spending time with the people they loved.

"Who wants to start us off?" Clint asked as they distributed the slips of paper by the color each person had. They all gathered a small pile in front of them by the end, and even Natasha and Wanda had one as they filled a few out whenever they came over.

The room fell silent for a moment as they all shared glances. Tasha eventually sat up straighter in her chair and grabbed one of her slips. "I'll start," She easily took initiative and reread the random paper she chose. "I'm thankful for this idiot," She pointed at Clint, "For not killing himself on our missions."

Lila and Cooper giggled as Natasha smirked. Clint only shook his head. "Well same back at you, jerk."

"Guys," Laura scolded them but couldn't help smiling at their friendly banter. "What a strong start. I might as well continue…" She said and grabbed one of her papers. "I'm thankful for those heavenly German chocolates you two brought back from your mission in Berlin." It may have been a simple thanks, but she loved remembering the taste of that beautiful dessert. Sometimes they just needed to thank the little things.

"What about you Coop? Lila?" Clint asked his son and daughter who were sitting on the floor around the coffee table together, their piles of paper in front of them.

Cooper read one of his slips and smiled. "I'm thankful for the new friends I made at school this year. I finally found someone who likes the same video games as me."

"And I'm thankful for the deer family," Lila happily piped in. "I'm glad they're safe and I love spending time with everyone when we go see them."

The mention of the deer sent a bright light around the room. The deer could have went unsaid because it was easy to tell that everyone was thankful for them. It was like being thankful for this family and the fact that Clint returns home from all of his missions: They were things the whole family understood and didn't even need to acknowledge, but the fact that Lila did thank the deer made everyone smile. Everyone here had at least one experience with them, even Natasha and Laura.

Natasha took a trip out with Clint once, and it was mainly to catch up with her friend for the first time in a while. It was a day where she was finally able to relax, and that made it memorable enough for her. Clint took Laura out once, almost as a date, and for the first time in years Laura had seen the creatures she had loved ever since childhood. She spent quality time with her husband while also sitting in awe as she observed the adorable family, and just that made it memorable.

"What are you thankful for Wanda?" Lila asked her new sister as she sat in the recliner holding the squirming Nathaniel in her lap.

Wanda glanced at her paper pile, but didn't bother to look at what they said. Instead she looked back at Nate, bouncing him as he sat on her knee. "I'm thankful for my brother, Pietro," She said, and as soon as she did, silence fell upon the room in a moment of hesitance. She never openly talked about her brother with _this_ many people in the room, everyone could tell. Thankfully, it wasn't a long silence before she continued. "But I'm also thankful for my new siblings," She said and looked at Cooper and Lila, but soon looked at the others. "And my new families."

The new silence that followed this statement suddenly melted from awkward, into warm. It was amazing to hear that Wanda was slowly starting to feel like she belonged into the new families she'd gained in these past few months, both the Avengers family and the Barton family. Hearing her admit it aloud just made Clint tightly hold his wife's hand, and she gladly squeezed it right back.

"We're thankful to have gained a new member to our family too," Clint said as he shared his smile with Wanda before Natasha nodded.

"And the rest of us Avengers are thankful to have you too."

Wanda grinned uncontrollably at the love radiating from this room, and simply looked down at the child in her lap to distract herself from smiling too much. But looking down at the laughing child she bounced, she realized she was glad to be a part of the Barton family most.

As the family continued to go around the room, saying what they were thankful for, one of the mentions caught Clint severly off guard.

Lila picked up one of her papers and looked down at it for a silent moment, hesitating, as if she was unsure if she should say it. But in the end, she said what was written on it. "I'm thankful for the time we got to spend with Uncle Phil."

The room fell dead silent. All of them knowing that Phil was still a touchy subject for Clint, since they had been so close. Since he passed, Clint barely mentioned him, let alone said his name. Though it may have been years, Clint was still hurt that he was gone and it was clear on his face.

But Wanda had no idea who this guy was and why he affected everyone in the room this way, so she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Who's Uncle Phil?"

After asking that, Wanda couldn't help but notice the uneasy glaces of everyone in the room. Whoever this Uncle Phil was, he was clearly important to everyone here, but based on their looks, she could only assume something horrible happened to him to cause this much pain just by a mention. It didn't go unnoticed that Clint's face held the most pain.

Natasha was the first to answer her, and she mainly did it so Clint didn't have to. Even if she hated discussing Phil herself, she wanted to spare her best friend of having to explain the situation. "He was basically the right hand man of Fury working with Shield. Clint and I worked with him a lot, he was the person that recruited us into the organization. He took a chance on our disorganized selves and taught us a lot..." She drifted a moment because she didn't want to hear herself say this aloud, "He passed a few years ago while on a mission. The mission that set up the Avengers."

After that brief explanation, Wanda could tell why especially Clint was so shaken by just the mention of this man. They were clearly close, even more so if the kids seemed to love him too. Phil was clearly close to the whole family, and his death affected the whole family.

"He would always come visit," Lila smiled as she remembered the great times she had with her favorite Uncle. "He would even take us out to his own lake house sometimes."

"He was the sweetest guy," Laura said as she continued to tightly squeeze her husband's hand, this time to comfort him. Nobody had mentioned Phil in a long time, mainly for Clint's sake as he never brought him up himself.

Clint had taken the hardest hit from that first Avengers mission in many ways, but what had hurt him the most was surprisingly not the nightmares of the people he killed, or the knowledge that Phil was murdered without Clint being able to save him or say a goodbye, the hardest part of his death was having to tell the kids that Uncle Phil wasn't coming back.

It was a vivid memory in his mind, whether he liked it or not. He had to make sure he kept his composure as he stood frozen on the porch, returning from the battle in New York. All sorts of uncontrollable emotions were running through him that he forced himself to keep at bay. He had to, just for a little longer. He had to show his family he was fine.

Even though he was far from it.

He couldn't even come home right away after the battle when he discovered what happened, he had to wait nearly a week just to make sure he was stable enough and wouldn't accidentally lash out from anger and nightmares. Natasha had been his saving grace, keeping him close during the worst of the storm. Comforting him when he fell into full fledged panic attacks. Making sure she was the only one to witness his weakness that he tried desperately to hide from everyone else on the new team.

Loki's mind control took a hard number on him, he couldn't help but wake up basically screaming from replaying the deaths of the dozens of people he shot arrows through. Replying the horrors he caused, and replying the fact that he couldn't be there to help Phil as he died without his knowledge.

It was a lot for one person to handle alone, Natasha knew that, so she helped him until she was sure he was okay enough to get the rest of his help by going home.

Home was usually the best therapy for Clint in these difficult moments. They help ground him.

Just not this time. Standing just feet in front of the door, he felt like he was falling off a cliff.

Clint wasn't ready to go home, for once in his life. He wasn't ready to face his kids and tell them the news.

Before he even had the chance to make sure he was ready, the door opened to reveal Laura. When they stared at each other for the first time after that horrible mission, she was finally able to see the toll it had taken on her husband. He simply couldn't hide the hurt in his eyes this time.

Just the fact that she saw Clint look openly weak for one of the first times in her life was enough to scare her.

Before they could even say anything, the young Lila and Cooper bolted up to him and started to hug his legs as tightly as they could. They had all seen the huge battle on the news, they had known he was a fighter in it, and they were simply glad to have him home safe where they could see and hug him in person.

They were oblivious to the news yet to come.

Clint dropped his bow bag mercilessly on the porch without caring if it damaged the precious contents. He bent down and properly embraced his five and nine year olds, but they could tell something was wrong when Clint took in a shaky breath.

Calling upon all his strength to not burst into tears, Clint quietly spoke. "I'm sorry, but…" He had to pause and swallow thickly to reset his nearly cracking voice. "But... Uncle Phil won't be able to come visit anymore."

Even at such a young age, they understood what that meant. They understood that Phil was gone, and they sadly understood what death was. They had always been prepared for it, prepared for Clint to potentially be the one never coming back.

They never stopped to think that Phil would be the one to take that mantle.

Hearing their cries as he held each kid tightly over his shoulder, he could feel their tears quickly staining his shirt. Hearing them lose control in this way broke his heart more than anything, but he was glad that they couldn't see his own tears that he simply couldn't hold back any longer.

As he closed his eyes, Clint was knocked back into the present reality. The others were still talking about Phil, remembering him and just being thankful he was a part of their lives while trying to explain to Wanda how important he had been to everyone in this room.

No one was more thankful than Clint was for having Phil in their life. Phil got him out of a bad spot in his teens, when he was tangled up in committing crimes, Phil gave him the opportunity he wanted to change those ways. Phil had been one of the few people Clint never regretted calling family.

Without thinking, and completely interrupting whatever the family was discussing about him, Clint spoke. His voice caused the whole room to go silent. "If you met him," He paused to turn his face towards Wanda, "You would never have met anyone who had more faith in people's ability to do good than he did. I can guarantee that."

That made Natasha crack a barely noticeable smile at the fact _he_ was finally the one mentioning Phil. And the way Clint had said it with so much certainty, it made Wanda believe every word.

Whoever this Phil was, Wanda was sure she would have liked him.

Natasha lifted the silence that followed his outburst, knowing that their moment of discussing Phil was over for the time being, so she said, "Is there anything else you guys are thankful for? Because frankly, I'm thankful for Laura's home cooked meals. They're much better than anything the Avengers can cook up." Turning to Lila and Cooper she whispered to them, "You guys don't want to live with the Avengers unless you want take out every other night."

That caused the kids to crack a small giggle, despite the difficult conversation that just happened. They all needed a lightened mood as they went back to saying what was written on their colorful pieces of paper.

In the end, _this_ was why they had this jar for Thanksgiving. Sometimes it was nice to be thankful for the little things in life, but sometimes you needed to be thankful for the big ones. Even if they did hurt, it was important to never forget them.

It was important to never forget Phil.

* * *

 **Now this is the point in my life where I will be heading off to my first year of college... This means that my updates may be wack for a while because I have no idea when the hell my schedule will allow for writing/proofreading but hey, this story will not be ending any time soon:P I have a crap load of prewritten chapters just needing to be proofread by me, so you guys will get your Barton family fluff/angst for a nice long time, I'm just letting you all know that my inconsistent updates may become even more inconsistent, but I'll still be posting as often as possible.**


	28. The Call (Pt1)

"Cooper! Lila! Stop running in the house!" Laura shouted at the kids while she took laundry out of the dryer in the basement, hearing the rhythmic stomping and creaking floorboards above her.

"Mom!" Lila complained from upstairs. "Cooper's being mean to me!"

"She started it!" Cooper yelled back almost immediately.

Laura sighed as she heard them attacking each other upstairs. She quickly finished her task and quickly stuffed the clothes into a basket, taking it with her as she walked back up stairs. When she saw the kids start to throw punches, she put the basket down so she could pull the two apart.

"Hey! Hey! No fighting!" She sternly told them as she held the two kids away from each other, blocking their path for more attacks. "Now what's this all about?" She asked, trying to get to the bottom of the situation.

"Cooper stole Angela!" Lila yelled, referring to her stuffed bunny currently in Cooper's hands.

"Only because she keeps stealing all my pencils! I'm always running out and I need them to do my homework!" Cooper defended, still not willing to let go of the rabbit as he wanted to get back what was rightfully his. Since she stole his things, he'll steal hers.

"But I need pencils for my homework too!" Lila tried to make up an excuse but was interrupted by her brother.

"You're in 4th grade!" Cooper rolled his eyes. "You barely even have homework! You just steal them for you art projects!"

"I too have homework!" She paused as she realized she didn't have any tonight, "But I need them for my drawings too!" She finished and stomped her foot harshly on the ground.

As the kids started getting more rowdy, Laura silenced them. "Enough!"

Both kids stopped and looked at her, almost afraid as their mom rarely raised her voice. When she did, she always meant serious buisness.

Laura knew she would have to raise it this time as she realized the two have been fighting for a while and it would be the only way to get through to them. Now that she had their attention, they would listen to reason, so she lowered her voice again. "Cooper, give Angela back to your sister. Lila, give all his pencils back except for one. Then go cool down in your rooms."

When the two didn't reply because they were busy glaring at each other, Laura raised her voice back up. "Are we clear?"

They didn't want to, but they hesitantly complied with their mom's instructions even if they were still annoyed by the unfolded events. As they headed up to their rooms, tension still in the air, Laura pinched the bridge of her nose. After hearing all that shouting, she was beginning to feel a headache coming on.

"Too bad Clint's missing all the fun…" She mumbled to herself as she headed upstairs to complete her original task of folding the clean clothes in her basket.

Currently, Clint was out on a mission for Fury. He was sadly back to the normal scattered schedule of his job since the break Fury gave him ended. She had no idea what his current mission was, and she didn't want to know as it would only worry her more, but she was sure it was big by how serious he sounded when he got the call and told them he had to leave. Immediately.

That worried her enough.

And the fact that he's been out for over two weeks without being able to call indicated how sensitive the mission was.

Laura wouldn't lie to herself, she sometimes hated his job. Clint was constantly being dragged away from his family for extended periods, making her worry each time he left, but she also knew that Clint enjoyed it. She was proud he was out helping people despite the worry it caused her since she didn't have the skill sets to help in that same way, but it was constantly a bag of mixed feelings.

As she finished folding the clothes and cleared most of her headache after her quiet task, she headed to put the kid's clothes away.

She walked into Cooper's room first. She noticed as she entered that he was doing his homework, a full pile of pencils scattered on his desk. "Did she give you all your pencils back?" Laura asked as she opened his drawers and starting putting his clothes away in the proper spots.

He nodded. "Yeah, she gave most of them back."

"Good," She simply replied before doing the rest of her task in silence so he could finish his own work.

Before she left his room though, Laura said, "If Lila ever takes them all again, let me know and we'll get them back," She smirked at her son.

Without looking up from his work but clearly having a grin on his own face, Cooper replied, "Thanks, mom."

She knew their sibling rivalry would never end and she'd have to break up many more fights, but she knew they all loved each other, even if she did have to buy more pencils in the future.

Laura then walked into Lila's room, seeing the child laying on her bed. She had a hard covered book under a sheet of paper so she could doodle while in the comfortable position on her stomach.

"Are you guys all good now?" Laura asked her this time. "Is Angela okay?"

Lila smiled slightly as she held the bunny tightly under one of her arms as she drew. "Yeah, we're fine."

There was a brief silence as Laura put the clothes away. "Why is Cooper always so mean to me?" Lila finally asked, still slightly annoyed at her brother.

"That's what older siblings do, they give us younger siblings a hard time. My brother was the same way, still is." Laura smiled, thinking about how she should really visit her family again soon. Maybe at Christmas time they could make plans...

"Yeah, but I still don't like it." Lila complained.

"Well, sometimes we just have to deal with the annoying older sibling." She said as she closed her drawers. "We get all the hard jobs because we can handle them best," She continued and walked over to see what her child was drawing. Lila smiled at her mom's comment and Laura grinned herself as she saw she was drawing the deer from the forest. She watched her draw for a moment before saying, "That's really good. You certainly do have a knack for drawing."

Lila smiled as she stopped drawing to observe her own work so far. "Thanks mom. I can't wait till dad comes back so we can see them again," She said, referring to the deer she drew. Lila seemed to enjoy going to see the deer most with Clint out of everyone in this family.

Laura tucked some of Lila's hair behind her ear. "I'm sure he'll be back soon," She replied to give her daughter hope that this mission wouldn't be like the Oslo mission where he was gone for nearly two months with no contact. That mission was a strainer on the whole family and she'd be lying if she said it wasn't. They didn't know if he was alive or dead for so long...

She might have said her hope aloud to partly ease her own worries about that happening again.

After a minute of watching her, Laura left Lila alone to her drawing to make dinner. She had to get it made before Nathaniel woke up from his nap and demanded feeding himself.

As she walked downstairs with the empty basket in hand, she suddenly heard a ringing. She glanced over at her phone on the coffee table, finding it to be the culprit.

When she saw the unknown number calling, she could help but grin. Clint often called from a different number when he was out on missions. He was likely calling right now.

She placed the phone closely to her ear. "Hello?"

"It's Brad," A voice said on the other line. Usually Clint would use fake names while calling during a mission, but this voice clearly wasn't Clint. It was a voice she thankfully did recognized, but unfortunately, it was one she hated to hear on the phone. Whenever she did hear this particular voice, it always meant trouble. It was Nick Fury.

They had set up multiple different codes for multiple situations, just in case there was possible danger but they needed to know something was wrong. Someone might be tapped into the line, but to prevent them from knowing Laura was family to Clint, they used those codes. It helped keep the family safe instead of being used as a weakness against Clint.

"Brad…" She hesitated, trying to keep her worry from consuming her voice. If Fury was using code names, danger must have been lurking. "It's been a while. How is everything?"

"Oh, everything's been fine. Except for the fact that my car broke down this morning. It's currently in the shop getting fixed."

Time seemed to slow for Laura as the empty laundry basket slipped from her grip. She didn't even bother to try catching it, letting it hit the ground with a light thud. When her legs started to grow weak under her weight, she slowly sat down on the couch.

This was bad. Really bad.

She took her a moment to compose herself before answering with as much strength as she could muster. "Do they know what's wrong with it?"

There was silence on his line before Fury answered. "Multiple things. The muffler's gone bad, the tires need to be replaced, it's going to be a while before I get her back."

Laura covered her mouth with her hand, trying to swallow back tears as she mentally sorted through the code in her racing mind. "That's horrible…"

"Agreed. I need to find a ride so I can get to work in the morning, that's why I called. Can you give me a lift?" He asked, tone still dead serious. He couldn't break character, but he could tell that Laura slowly was by the news he was giving her. He had to finish this call quickly.

"Yeah, sure," She replied as she leaned back into the couch, eyes closed to prevent her stirring tears from falling. "When do you need me to pick you up?"

"Tomorrow, nine in the morning. Does that work for you?"

She thought for a moment as she remembered their code meant that he would come meet them at seven in the morning, not nine. The sooner the better. "Yeah, that's when I leave for work anyway. See you then?" She asked as she knew the conversation was coming to a close, much to her dismay. She wanted to know what was wrong now, not tomorrow. She didn't want to wait to get the rest of the information she needed.

"See you then," Fury simply replied before she heard the line go dead.

This was bad. Really bad.

Laura slowly placed her phone on the coffee table before breaking down into tears. She couldn't hold it back any longer, she had to let her worry out. She knew these things happened, it came with the territory, but it never hurt or scared her any less when they did.

Clint was in the hospital and he was hurt, badly. She wasn't told much on the phone but she knew this much: He had many injuries, they were bad injuries, and Fury was going to come by tomorrow to explain everything else.

Hopefully, he would take her to see her husband too. Hopefully, her husband was still hanging on. Hopefully, her husband would be alright.

Oh God... She prayed that Clint would be alright.

* * *

 **Yes, this will be another mini story:) It will span multiple chapters, but I believe it will be fun...**

 **Thank you Katie MacAlpine and Candymouse22 for the good luck wishes in college as I'm sure I'll be needing them:P They really do mean a lot and I am enjoying my stay in college already:)**


	29. How Did This Happen? (Pt2)

**Rated T: Mild language, descriptions of injuries.**

* * *

Clint shot arrow after arrow, taking out the Hydra agents one by one.

But they just kept coming.

"What's our status?" Clint yelled into his earpiece over the gun fires in the room. He ducked behind a concrete pillar, but not before getting nicked in the leg by a bullet or two. "Crap..." He groaned, more annoyed than anything. If his pain tolerance wasn't so high, he would have been hobbling over in the burning sensation it gave, but he was so used to the heat of bullet wounds after being hit by hundreds in his lifetime, that it was now only a minor disturbance. As long as they didn't hit anything vital, he was fine. He would keep going.

Even if it did hit something vital, he would have no choice but to keep going. He couldn't afford to get killed by these morons by falling to the floor.

"Two minutes before that building blows," Natasha replied to his previous question before stating the obvious. "You have to get out of there Barton."

He waited until the men reloaded their guns before going back to shooting them. "I don't know how well that's gonna work out… I'm getting swarmed by agents up here."

"I'm coming up to help. Cap's standing by with a small team and I could get some of them…" Natasha started through her earpiece, but Clint interrupted her before she could finish.

"No, there's no time. Stay where you are, Tasha, I'll figure a way out." Clint said as he spied a stairwell on his right. "I always do," He mumbled to himself while taking out the last of the guards in this swarm. He sprinted towards the stairwell, despite the bullet wounds in his legs, he barely slowed down.

"You have one minute thirty, Clint. You better hurry," She said and instantly left the line to let him focus on escaping. Clint reached the stairwell, about to shoot a grappling arrow at the ceiling. It would be faster to slide down his rope in the center of the spiraled steps so he could reach the ground floor in a matter of seconds, but as he was aiming, he heard a door open. He could hear multiple sets of footsteps running up the staircase, and it didn't take long for them to notice the archer and instantly start to open fire, Clint just barely avoiding the line of fire by ducking out of the stairwell.

"Shit... I hate these undercover missions…"

These past two weeks, Natasha and Clint went undercover in this very Hydra base, taking the place of two employees they discreetly captured and switched credentials with. They were secretly stealing intel and plans the whole time before anyone noticed and came after their 'new recruits.'

Clint hated these missions the most because when they got up close for that long, acting like the enemy's own, they liked to make it personal. That's what caused their current situation. The agents had a bone to pick with Clint and wanted to make him pay if it was the last thing they did.

…And it _would_ be the last thing they did as, little did they know, Natasha rigged the building to explode.

Hopefully, trying to escape wouldn't be the last thing _Clint_ did.

Looking around the room, he tried to find an escape route but only saw windows. He was ten stories up, so jumping out of one wasn't an option. The west stairwell was closed off by men, and as he was about to check the east one, more men came barreling out of the door, instantly shooting at anything and everything.

Ducking under a metal desk, he heard Natasha through the earpiece."Thirty seconds, Clint. How close are you?"

Clint stealthily moved from desk to desk until his back was once again against a concrete support beam. He shot a few more arrows before quickly realizing: He was out of options.

"Not good…" He mumbled as he aimed his bow at the window in front of him, shattering the glass with an explosive arrow while protecting his face.

He sprinted full force at the now open window and like an idiot, he jumped. Getting hit by another bullet on his way out were the least of his worries, even if it was dangerously close to hitting his left kidney.

Clint did his best to turn in mid air as he aimed his grappling hook arrow, shooting it at the top of the building and quickly falling a few stories before his decline abruptly stopped and he slammed into the side of the structure.

Hard.

He let out a grunt of pain before continuing his decent, realizing too late he wouldn't be fast enough. The second he heard the explosion was the second he was thrown off the side of the building from the blast. The rope on his arrow snapped, causing him to free fall as he was forced backwards.

It was too late to break his fall because the Switzerland snow and frozen earth broke it for him.

Clint landed on his right side, not lightly, to say it mildly. He felt bones in his body crack from the impact, and when his head hit the ice, he was out like a light.

* * *

Clint didn't know when he awoke from his unconscious state but as soon as he did, he regretted it.

Head spinning and ears buzzing, he felt nauseous even before he started registering the pain all throughout his body. Slowly opening his eyes, he found the whole world spinning around him. He grunted as he tried to flip over onto his back.

But doing that was a huge mistake. It only made him realize how much of his body was actually broken.

Clint bit his lip from the pain stirring within, so he instead looked at the burning building nearby and the snowy tree branches above to distract himself.

As he tried to take in his bearings of possible danger, spikes of pain attacked his body again. Clint's whole body tensed and he tried to take deep breaths, easily discovering he couldn't from a sharp pain in his lung. He was increasingly finding it difficult to breath because his ribs were pressing painfully against his organs. It felt like walls were closing in all around his body, slowly crushing him further with each deep breath he took. Clint could only take shallow, shaky breaths with his likely broken ribs which were nearly puncturing his lungs.

He laid in the snow trying to breathe for what felt like hours, trying his best to remain motionless and keep the pain from worsening.

But he needed to move, before the enemy found him.

But Clint also knew that he shouldn't.

He really couldn't. He didn't know how badly everything was broken and moving could kill him. That, added with what felt like knifes violently attacking him when he moved even slightly... It wasn't hard to remain motionless.

He looked down at himself the best he could, seeing an arm and leg bent at an impossible angle and pools of red mingle with the pure white snow.

The snow was so cold... So he focused on that, hoping it would take his mind away from his broken body as he put his head carefully back down so he could look at the treetops instead. He focused on that cold until his skin grew numb under the thin Hydra uniform and when that comfort was gone, he had none left. Only the torment.

He'd probably had worse, but this was a _bad_ one. Clearly his skin was pierced multiple times by the amount of blood and an unknown amount of bones were broken, but whether he had worse or not, in this moment, it felt worse than any other injury he'd ever had.

And it was taking a toll on his body.

' _I just need to rest my eyes…'_ Clint thought to himself. It was against his better judgement, he knew it wouldn't be smart to try resting when he was clearly injured and currently on the verge of consciousness... He _knew_ that... But the emptiness seemed to wrap around him like a warm blanket. He just wanted to crawl under it and back into the comfort of his own bed.

He would be fine. The building exploded, Hydra agents should be dead. He should be safe until his team found him.

Yeah. He could rest for a bit… Just until they came…

He barely responded to the feeling of something hitting his cheek. He just wanted to sleep, but it was impossible to when something was so persistent in hitting him.

With a groan, he did his best to pry open his eyes so he could see what was hitting him and maybe swat it away. With his good hand, because he was _clearly_ aware that one of them was smashed from the pain running through it and the sight earlier. The world seemed to be spinning, but he made out the blurry features of red hair.

Natasha. Of course it was _her_ hitting him in the face. Who else would it be? She was always hitting him in the face.

As his eyes adjusted roughly to her features, he could make out her lips moving as she continued to lightly slap him. But he couldn't hear a thing.

His hearing aids must have blown out from the explosion. Made sense. At least it was quiet now. Easier to sleep.

As the pull of unconsciousness tried to yank him back under once again, he was rudely awakened by a screaming surge of pain rushing through him. He couldn't help but let out a swear or two as he felt Natasha tugging at his leg, which was clearly broken worse than he originally thought. Much worse.

After what felt like a long week of the surging pain, he felt suddenly more tired than before. He was out of energy, he couldn't stay awake any longer. The energy it took to keep from passing out was too much, he just wanted to slee-

Clint couldn't help but cry out in pain at what he felt next. Pain everywhere, not just in his chest and arm, but in his torso, leg, everywhere. He could barely feel the hands that slid under his back and legs through that pain as the medical team tried to carefully transfer him onto a stretcher.

Clearly, careful wasn't careful enough.

He didn't want to fight passing out any longer, he didn't have energy to to that. So he finally let it take him, his scream of pain ending as his body fell limp on the stretcher.

But he didn't stay out. No, his body wouldn't give up that easily. Especially with that same stubborn hand hitting his cheek again. He twisted his head away from the movement, in an attempt to tell them to stop without having to open his heavy eyelids.

His mind was hazy, from pain, pain killers, and being only half conscious, so he couldn't tell if he drifted in and out, or what was going on around him. He didn't even realize there was a hand tightly squeezing his good one, the hand of a scared teenage avenger who had simply came on this mission to observe how undercover missions worked from a distance with a Star Spangled man.

As they loaded the badly injured archer into a helicopter, the hand never left as Wanda climbed in with him. Natasha telling her everything would be okay, but to stay with her closest friend until she could finish the mission with Steve and meet her at the hospital. Wanda wished she could believe her, she really tried, but as the helicopter took off, she could barely stop herself from breaking into frantic tears as a medic did his best to keep the broken man alive.

Seeing Clint unresponsive to everything around him, seeing him battered this badly, she just wanted a response to know he was okay. She held his hand until her knuckles turned white at the sheer strength she used to get one, with no luck.

And she couldn't find the hope within her. Not after her parents, not after Pietro…

She didn't want Clint to leave her too. Not when she was just beginning to feel like part of a family again.

She needed something to grasp onto, anything. Even if it was small.

Clint knew he was in the air by the way the ground below him trembled like a familiar feel of a helicopter. But he didn't know anything other than that. He couldn't open his eyes, he was feeling numb instead of pain from the drugs in him, he was just so tired… And drifting fast.

He didn't let himself actually slip into unconsciousness until a familiar voice in his head said that he would be okay. He was safe and getting help. At least he knew that much after seeing Natasha... Who knew how long ago.

He let a barely visible smile inch its way to his lips. He knew he would be fine before he completely lost what little cognitive thought he had reserved.

And that was enough to give Wanda hope.


	30. Is Clint Okay? (Pt3)

Laura paced back and fourth in the kitchen. She ran out of things to keep her busy. The dishes were washed, the floors were swept, she even cleaned both bathrooms but she finally just... Ran out of chores to do. Even though the day had just started, she was dead tired from getting zero sleep the night before. Despite her sleep deprivation, she desperately wanted something to do so she could distract herself from the endless waiting.

Because waiting was always the worst part.

She could make herself breakfast... But she wouldn't be able to keep it down until she had the kids to keep her occupied. They wouldn't even be up for at least another hour for school.

The kids would have been a great distraction. In fact, she knew they would have done their best to keep her mind off Clint, they knew what was going on. Laura told them after all, she had to. She wouldn't have been able to hide it because when she was worried, it showed.

It also didn't help that the kids seemed to inherit the trait of perceptiveness from their father, they were bound to catch on to something being wrong, so Laura told them yesterday after dinner. A dinner she barely ate as she picked at her plate, trying to figure out how to explain that their father was, once again, in the hospital, possibly in horrible condition. She didn't know. She knew so little about the situation, so that didn't help her worry at all.

It was only a few minutes past six and her anticipation was skyrocketing. She knew it may take Fury longer than the arranged time to get up to the farm, since he was likely traveling a great distance. However, it didn't make the wait any easier. Only harder.

But it wasn't long before she heard the low rumble of a car in her driveway, making her nearly bolt towards the door.

Laura looked out the window first, though, making sure it really was Fury and not a dangerous enemy from the mission.

The second a dark skinned man in a trench coat stepped out of the driver's seat, she knew it was Fury, and she finally jogged onto the porch. The crisp air of late fall stung her skin and gave her unwelcome chills. She zipped up her sweater further, trying to block out the cold and give herself some amount of warmth as she held her arms close to her churning stomach.

As Nick walked up the steps, he decided to say one of their code phrases, just to be safe. This mission was obviously a big one with all the precautions he was taking on the phone and in person.

"I thought there would be more cardinals out today, the trees are looking pretty bare."

Taking a moment to remember how to reply to that phrase, Laura answered. "Yeah, well, not many are out this time of year. The morning isn't the same without them."

For a tense second, they simply stared at each other, waiting to see who would make the next move. Laura ended up being the one as she nodded and invited Nick in. She wanted to get out of the cold as fast as possible. She wanted to find out what was going on as fast as possible.

They were both silent as they stood across from each other in the kitchen, but Laura couldn't wait any longer. "Is he okay?"

She started with a simple question. She had to. For all she knew, Clint may not have made it through the past sixteen and a half hours. She hadn't had any other contact since then. He could have been injured beyond repair, so she had to start small. Find out if he was still alive first.

Fury sat down at the kitchen table. "He's as good as he can be," He replied as he paused to think about how to word the situation and figure out where to start in the story. "He just got out of surgery late last night. He was in there for a good nine hours, but right now he's stable enough. He still unconscious from the anesthesia, it'll be awhile before he wakes up."

Laura sat down at the table during his talk from her shaking legs slowly giving way due to the stress. She buried her face in her hands to collect herself from the relief he was at least alive.

She found out something... It still wasn't a good something, but Clint was at _least_ stable.

But nine hours of surgery? That was enough to nearly give her a heart attack. This was one of the few times she was actually glad she was unaware of the surgery because she might have went crazy if she knew it would be that long.

She let a heavy sigh escape her lips as she still kept her eyes closed. "That bad?"

Fury nodded as he observed Laura start to rub her forehead, staring down at the table. She was clearly avoiding eye contact with him due to the overwhelming information. He almost didn't dare to continue, but he knew she wanted to know what was happening even if it was taking a toll on herself. "He broke his right arm in a few places, a few smashed ribs which came dangerously close to puncturing his right lung, a concussion, his right leg enjoying some major stitches along with a fracture, a couple shrapnel and bullet wounds, and one almost shot left kidney."

Laura's mouth dropped open and she finally looked up at Nick. She couldn't believe Clint had _that_ many injuries. This was one of his worst missions. "What the hell happened out there?"

"The team informed me that on the mission, he couldn't escape a building in time." Fury started and was careful to explain the situation without giving out too many details. It was dangerous to know certain things if you were't an agent, especially when the mission wasn't one hundred percent completed yet. "Right before the building exploded, he jumped out a window. He tried to catch himself with one of his ' _grappling hook arrows,_ ' as he calls them. Managed to grab hold of the wall and drop him down a few stories safely, but he couldn't escape the blast as it made him free fall the last couple stories. He landed on his right side pretty hard.'"

"Clint…" Laura almost complained as she sighed from the story. Leave it up to _Hawkeye_ to do something as crazy as that on a mission, but she was still thankful he escaped the building. "How long will it take for him to recover?"

"It's hard to tell," Fury said. "He's stable right now but his condition could still turn critical at any moment if any of those injuries cause complications. He's in intensive care, closely being monitored."

"Who's monitoring him?" Laura said, growing uneasy at that fact. If this was a dangerous mission, she wanted to be sure that Clint was in safe hands, not enemy hands.

"Romanoff," He nodded and that instantly eased some of her worry. Laura completely trusted Natasha to protect Clint and this family she was also a part of, so even if Laura was still worried, hearing that she was with Clint helped lighten the load.

"I made sure she was with him before making the trip here. I didn't trust anyone else," Nick continued and hesitated a moment before adding one more thing. "Maximoff is with him too."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Wanda? Why is Wanda there? Isn't she still in training?"

"She was there to observe how this mission operated from a distance. When it all happened, she stayed with Barton until they transported him to the ER," Fury noted, "She barely left his side."

Laura had mixed feelings after hearing that. On one hand, it was sweet Wanda was starting to care so much about this family, it was nice to have her in it and she could tell Wanda was starting to look up to Clint. But it also hurt. Now, Wanda would feel worse when things like this did happen. The closer she got to them, the more pain she would feel. Even if there were pluses to being part of a family again, this family was a mess and had many downfalls.

Fury changed the subject as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Well, when Agent Barton does get out of that bed, there's bad news for me."

Laura grew a bit nervous and the mention of, _'bad news.'_ "What?"

"One of my top agents will once again, be out of commission for a few months," He said and rubbed his eyes. Laura noted how tired he looked, knowing he likely didn't sleep either. "He'll be able to come home until he heals."

Laura smiled a bit at that, glad that Fury was trying to lift her own spirits even if what he said clearly annoyed himself. Nick was a sweet man, he just had his own discrete ways of showing it. One could blink and miss it if they weren't close to the man.

But Laura was happy that Clint could recuperate at home. It always helped him to heal at home, she knew her husband easily grew irritated when he was near immobile. Especially if he couldn't use his bow and arrows due to a broken arm. Being home would help.

However, she let a sigh escape. Anything could still happen with Clint, he could still turn critical at any point, he was injured a _lot_. The recovery road will be hard, especially with a broken leg too. If he couldn't use crutches, Clint would go stir crazy. She knew that he didn't like sitting down for too long, it made him feel vulnerable. He hated feeling vulnerable.

If he could heal as fast as Steve, he would be up and about again in a week or two, but her husband wasn't Steve. It could easily take him more than eight weeks to heal. Clint wasn't superhuman, he was just human. It was both his greatest asset and greatest weakness.

As Laura thought about this, a thought crossed her mind. Confusion crossed her features while she asked, "Don't you guys have that machine that can heal Clint in a matter of hours? The machine they used to fix his side injury in Sokovia?"

Fury shook his head as he remembered what she was talking about. "That machine can only heal surface injuries to the skin. The injury he had in Sokovia was basically a huge chunk of skin carved out of him, but there was no major damage. These injuries are much more complex and that machine can't fix his broken bones. He has internal damage too and if we use it, that machine could potentially heal over the injuries wrong and cause even more complications. We don't want to take that risk."

Laura understood, she honestly didn't like the idea of a machine healing her husband for him, but she still knew Clint would want to get out of the healing process as quickly as possible.

Instead of digging for a deeper solution though, she asked one of her many other questions. "When can I visit him?"

"Not for a few days," Fury simply replied. "Right now, he's halfway across the world in a public hospital. We have to be extra careful since we can't transfer him into a secure medical facility yet and we have to make sure it's safe for you and no one is out to... Finish the job."

That sentence made Laura worry even more. Usually when people wanted to _'finish the job'_ it meant that Clint had been undercover and gotten up close and personal with the danger. It would explain why he hadn't called these past two weeks, but those were the missions that worried her the most. "It was that deep of a mission?"

Fury's response was simply a nod, knowing that he couldn't say anything more about it. Yet, it didn't stop Laura from continuing her questions because she wanted to find out as much information as possible to reassure her that Clint would be alright. With time.

She was still worried, but understanding the situation he was in was significantly better than not knowing anything at all. She was also still upset that she couldn't go see her husband for a few days, but at least she knew he was hopefully on the road to recovery with Natasha and Wanda by his side.

During her Q and A, the kids were eventually coming down the steps looking for breakfast in their morning scramble for school. They noticed Nick Fury sitting at the table, and they both stopped dead in their tracks. They didn't know what news Fury had to deliver, it could be anything. Today could be the day they had been prepared for their whole life and they were frankly afraid to ask.

"Is dad…" Lila started, but her voice broke halfway through so Cooper had to finish.

"Is he okay?"

Fury put a small smile on his face for show, as he was a man who rarely ever gave a genuine smile. "Your father is fine. A bit beat up, but we think he'll make it."

The kids smiled at knowing their dad was alright and instantly their moods changed from worry to excited. "When can we see him?" Lila asked, nearly bouncing up and down by the fact that he was relatively okay.

"I don't know," He replied. "It all depends on when we can get him out of the hospital. It could be a couple weeks yet."

Lila slightly frowned at that long wait, but she was still glad her father was okay and would come back home.

Laura stood up, starting to prepare breakfast of eggs and toast for the kids. "You're welcome to join us for breakfast and coffee, Nick. You could use a good meal after traveling all night."

A hint of a genuine smile came across his face as he replied, "I think I'll take you up on that offer, Mrs. Barton."

Laura smiled as she focused on her task of cooking, facing away from everyone in the room. She didn't want them to see her tears of relief as she secretly wiped them away.

In this moment, Clint was alive. That was enough to keep her food down.


	31. A Family's Worry (Pt4)

"Ms. Foster?" A nurse asked as she walked into the waiting room. In this small town hospital, only two other people were occupying it: a crying woman in the corner, and a red head facing the wall. The ginger was the one who turned around at the name being called, instantly spinning on her heels to complete a one-eighty and face whoever said it.

"Yes?" Natasha replied with as little emotion as possible, a fist balled at her side. After the events unfolding, one was supposed to break down with tears of worry, but this master spy wouldn't let herself appear weak. She was trained to hide weakness, after all. She could contain herself though the snow white knuckles of her clenched fist.

No matter how worried she actually was.

"Are you family to William Brandt?" The nurse asked while glancing down at her clipboard. The spy couldn't help but feel as if she was in an interrogation based on the tone of that question. It didn't help that she was already on edge.

Shaking her head, she simply replied, "Friend," Using as few words as possible to ensure that this transaction went quickly. She needed to know what information the nurse held back. She needed it _now_. The sooner the better.

The nurse nodded, directing _'Ms. Foster'_ to follow her as they made their way down the hallways. Sickly white hospital hallways. The walls almost blinded her with it's natural bright hue.

Natasha always hated the color white.

As the woman continued to look at the notes written on her clipboard, she asked, "Does Mr. Brandt have any family members we need to contact?"

"No family, just friends," She instantly respond as she was led passed rows of intensive care units. Glancing in each, she found most to be empty, but she was just waiting to come across... _T_ _he one._

The nurse wrote on the paper as she continued. "Feel free to call whoever you need to. As you know, we just took Brandt out of surgery an hour ago, but he was injured pretty severely. We'll be closely monitoring him for the next few hours to see if there are any negative changes, but currently, there isn't much to say..." She drifted, getting lost in the extensive list of injuries this man had. No one ever came in this badly beat up... She couldn't help but wonder how the hell it happened.

Natasha swore under her breath. That was _not_ the information she wanted to hear. She wanted to hear some good news, not hear that everything was still on the table, including death. She didn't like hearing death was a strong possibility.

She was so wrapped up in her frantic thoughts that she nearly ran into the nurse when she suddenly stopped in front of an intensive care unit.

The one they were looking for.

When Natasha looked inside it, that was the moment she suddenly didn't feel good. She felt like throwing up at the sight of seeing Clint in the bed, wires attached to every part of his deathly pale body.

But that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was the fact that Clint had machines breathing _for_ him. An oxygen mask over his mouth and tubes likely down his throat in hopes to keep him alive.

Leave it to her partner to nearly kill himself while on a mission.

"You're welcome to stay with him, but you're going to have to discuss a few matters with the doctors first," The nurse interrupted and Natasha almost didn't hear her over her own internal worries.

Natasha realized that the nurse wanted some form of acknowledgment that she was still paying attention to these other matters that needed attending, but for once in her life, Natasha didn't want to answer. She felt... Off.

It took her longer than it should have to realize she feared she would break if she spoke.

She never feared that. Not once in her life. Why was she now? Was it the fact that she was looking at her friend on the verge of death? The fact that laying motionless in this bed was basically her only friend?

Was it the fact that she didn't want to lose him?

She shook her mind from those thoughts and instead of speaking, she nodded, her stare kept constant in the direction of Clint. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him, despite how much she hated seeing it.

Natasha knew right then, she wouldn't stay with Clint. She couldn't. Not here. Not today. That made her weak. She couldn't afford to be that vulnerable.

After the nod of acknowledgement, the nurse focused her attention back onto the stack of papers she held. She noticed a weird note scribbled on the side of one and turned the clipboard to read the messy handwriting, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she read it. "It says here to ask if you want to keep the clothes Brandt came in with? It says that they were nearly ripped to sheds..."

Now she was even more confused as to what happened to this man and desperately wanted to know, but she also knew it wasn't her place to ask. So she continued with her job, looking up at Ms. Foster. "Originally we would keep Brandt's things in a locker for him, but because of how useless they are now, we could just dispose of them for you instead."

For a long moment, Natasha simply thought about whether to keep the useless clothes she'd seen torn to bits in the... _Incident_. Making up her mind, she replied, "I'll hold onto them."

If anything, she knew the Shield uniform designers hated starting from scratch on an outfit. No matter how destroyed the clothes were, they liked to have a physical base to follow, especially for Clint's one of a kind uniform. It was best fitted for archery, mobility in very specific places that other agents' uniforms didn't have. No one else in Shield used archery as their main weapon of choice, after all.

The nurse didn't know why she wanted to keep the pieces of fabric, but she didn't question it. "What's left is on that chair over there," She directed before looking up at Natasha, seeing something even weirder than the ripped up clothes.

She saw the conflicted feelings this woman had, but it wasn't the typical look she saw in others who visited loved ones in the ICU. From what she could gather, Ms. Foster tried her best to _hide_ her feelings from the watchful eyes around her. She had a stoic expression to accomplish that goal, but the nurse knew after seeing so many people in this position that the woman was really distancing herself from the pain of the situation. She always noticed when someone didn't want to cross that threshold in fear of having the nightmare become real.

But she also knew from experience that distancing themselves from the pain wouldn't help. If something worse did happen and they couldn't gather enough courage to walk into that room to be there with their loved one, then they would regret it for the rest of their life.

The nurse certainly regretted not being able to step into the room to hold the hand of her little sister. To provide some comfort in her last moments.

Pushing the memory out of her head before she could tear up, the nurse suddenly looked back down at her clipboard before saying, "I'll leave you alone for a moment, I need to go check in with another patient before we meet with Doctor Kal."

As she walked away in hopes that Ms. Foster wouldn't make the same mistake she had, Natasha barely acknowledged her leaving as she simply continued looking at the room her beat up friend laid.

She didn't want to go in it. She'd seen Clint in the hospital before, but never like this. She didn't want to near the bedside of a man potentially on his death bed, the man she finally felt confident enough to call a friend after so many years of knowing him. A friend who took her under his wing, taught her a new way to live with her skill sets.

A friend who showed her how to be happy for once in her life.

She _really_ didn't want to lose him.

But despite not wanting to near his unconscious body, she decided to get it over with and get that uniform on the chair nearby. She speedily walked over to it, and just as quickly picked it up so she could once again stand in the doorway. It made her sick to her stomach to look over at Clint, so instead Natasha looked down at the uniform until the nurse came back.

She finally saw how badly destroyed the thing was, it was barely holding together. Huge pieces were missing and she was basically holding a pile of ripped cloth. Aimlessly, she picked at one of the many holes, running her hand through the torn fabric to distract herself from her friend nearby.

Besides the fabric being torn to bits, she didn't see anything wrong with it. But as her hand ran across, she felt something… off. Narrowing her eyes, she picked at the lump she felt, and through one of the bullet holes in the shirt she saw something white hidden within it.

She ripped the fabric open, further ruining the shirt to see what her discovery was. She found it to be a small piece of paper.

No, not a paper. It was thicker, slicker. This was the back of a photograph.

After digging out the photo, which seemed to have a hole in the corner from a bullet passing straight through, she carefully turned it over to see what the heck Barton held in that secret pocket near his heart.

She was... Confused, to say the least. She wasn't quite sure what she was looking at if she was being honest. It appeared to be a family photo based on the mother holding a small baby girl in her arms as she sat on the floor with a boy no older than four at her side. They were both looking at the baby wrapped in the blanket she held as opposed to the camera that took the photo, but they all had the brightest smiles on their faces. The mother's long, brown hair only partially covered her face, allowing the photo to clearly show she was the happiest among them by the huge grin and warm eyes.

But Clint had no family, Natasha knew that. Everyone from Clint's past was long dead or gone. Natasha did her research when she first became his partner. The records showed all that.

So who were the people in this photo?

They were clearly important if he carried it with him on dangerous missions, but Clint wasn't seen in this photo so they could be anyone.

Was the woman a childhood friend? Was Clint keeping these people a secret from her? Who were they? Who knew about them? Clint wasn't close to anyone in Shield except…

Coulson. Maybe Phil knew who they were. Clint was closest to him, Clint would trust him with these secrets he apparently didn't trust her with. She could ask Phil.

Plus, she had to give Shield a report of Clint's current situation.

Looking back at the bed one last time, she stuffed the picture into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

It only took seconds before a ringing was heard from the number she memorized long ago.

It only took hours before Natasha noticed scattered Shield agents roaming the hospital hallways. After she told the base that Clint was injured badly, they had to swing by with cover ups for the hospital staff to explain the _"accident"_ and give extra security to the injured archer.

But none of these agents were the one she was looking for.

Until he found her. "How bad?" Phil asked as he jogged up to Natasha from behind. Worry clear on his face for the friend they shared.

"They aren't sure yet. He's pretty banged up," She replied as she directed Phil into an empty hospital room and closed the door.

Phil raised an eyebrow as he looked around the empty room. He was clearly thinking she would take him to Barton and was confused on why she didn't. "Why are we in here?"

"I found something. I wanted to ask if you knew anything about it," She said as she brought out the picture of the three she found earlier.

Phil couldn't hide his softening eyes and Natasha could instantly tell that he did recognize these people. "Who are they, Coulson?"

"They're… Well…" He started, but drifted, seeming to lose what he was going to say. "It's hard to explain," He vaguely finished.

Natasha only raised an eyebrow as she waited for an explanation. Instead of giving her one, Phil just took out his cellphone and started punching in a phone number. "Clint wanted you to call this number if you found out. Tell her your name and she will explain everything."

Handing the phone to Natasha, who was now only more confused, Phil just left the room.

This was strange behavior, even for Coulson. It made Natasha hesitate on proceeding with what he said to do, but eventually she did call the preset number.

 _What the heck was going on here?_

The phone rang a few times. That wait seemed to feel like a year until she finally heard a woman's voice on the other line. "Hello?"

Natasha wondered if this was the voice to match the woman she currently looked down at. She had no clue since they weren't talking face to face, but she could only guess that they were one in the same.

What would she say to this woman she didn't know? To this woman who didn't know her?

How does one start a conversation with someone they never met and knew nothing about?

She could only think of one thing to say, which was the common factor between them: "Do you know Clint Barton?"

The line seemed to go dead for a long moment, and when the voice spoke again, she could sense how nervous this woman was at the mention of that name. "Who is this?"

Natasha hesitated. Phil told her to use her name, but she didn't want a stranger to know who she was. She didn't give out her name lightly. She was a spy.

"Natasha," She finally replied, despite her annoyance at doing so.

There was an audible breath of relief, as if it was supposed to be relieving she was talking to someone she didn't know. "You're Natasha Romanoff? Clint's told me a lot about you."

Natasha raised an eyebrow at that. Why would Clint tell this lady about her? He knew how important it was to keep work, and agents they worked with, a secret. "Who are you?" Natasha asked back.

The woman hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'm Laura. Laura Barton."

Natasha narrowed her eyes, now knowing this lady had to be lying. "Clint doesn't have any living family. Who are you _really_?"

"Laura Barton," She reiterated and paused. It was like she was debating if she should elaborate on that.

Natasha never expected her to say, "I'm Clint's wife."

Her jaw dropped so fast. Even she, a spy trained her whole life, couldn't hide her surprise and confusion by _that_ statement. She didn't even believe it, but just by hearing those absurd words coming out of this unknown woman's mouth was surprising enough.

The line was silent for a long time after that, Natasha honestly thinking about hanging up on this lair, but Laura spoke again before she could make up a decision.

Laura's voice quivered at the knowledge that if Natasha was calling, it must have meant something was wrong. Clint gave Phil instructions to have Natasha call this number if Clint was unable to tell her about his family in person. If Clint was unable to tell Natasha about them in person, that meant something was wrong. "What happened to Clint?"

Natasha debated whether or not to tell this woman what happened to her friend. If this was an enemy on the line making this elaborate story up, that could mean trouble for the injured archer. But then again, Natasha trusted Phil, and Phil gave her this number. Trust was hard to come by, so she decided to trust that this _'Laura Barton'_ at least knew Clint and had the right to know. "He's in the hospital. Intensive care."

Laura swore. Not an angry swear, a worried swear. "Is he going to make it?" She asked. She didn't want to ask, but she had to know.

"We're not sure yet, but he's pretty bad," Natasha explained as she noted every emotion and word Laura used to secretly try and decipher who she really was.

"Can I come see him?" Laura asked quickly. She would have headed over immediately, if she knew which hospital Clint was in. Whether she was allowed to see him or not.

Natasha didn't know how to answer, frankly. She wasn't the man in charge and couldn't give that permission, but this Laura obviously did know Phil if they shared phone numbers. So she simply said, "Talk to Coulson."

"Can I talk to him now? Is Phil there?" She asked frantically, she needed to see what was going on for herself. She needed to be with her husband. She needed Phil's permission to see him immediately.

Natasha seemed to sense the urgency in her voice and how genuine she sounded, so she was at least certain of the fact Laura knew Clint and cared about him. Whether she was his wife or not.

And that's how Natasha met this Laura Barton a day later.

They both sat closely to Clint's bedside, Natasha slightly closer as she carefully observed every movement this small woman made. Natasha hated being so close to her injured friend, still hooked up to the life support. It still disgusted her and made her want to barf, but she needed to keep an eye on her friend. She didn't trust this Laura, even though Phil backed up her story that she was, in fact, Clint's wife. She still stared the woman down to make sure she wasn't going to try anything to hurt her friend.

After a silent half hour of Natasha not letting Laura hold _'her husband's'_ hand, they finally got into a conversation.

"Is there anything you want to ask me?" Laura said quietly, as if talking to loud would wake up Clint from a nap.

Natasha didn't answer for minutes on end, but she couldn't lie, millions of questions ran through her mind that she wanted answers to. Out of all of them, there was one that stood out. "Assuming you are who you say… Why wouldn't Clint tell me?"

"Clint… He's…" She paused as if to find the right word to describe him. "Protective," Laura finally said. "He only told Fury and Phil we exist because they helped set this up. With his job, he worries some people might use us as targets. Shield made sure we weren't on any records relating us, to him." An awkward silence fell upon the room as Laura added, "He wanted to tell you many times, but the more people that know, the higher the risk is for us."

It made sense. If it was true, she understood why Clint would keep that a secret. Even so, she couldn't help but feel... Weird. She felt... Disappointed that Clint didn't tell her about his unknown family after becoming so close over the years. If he actually had this family, anyway. She wouldn't be sure until she got confirmation from Clint himself.

Natasha took this time to ask another question on her mind. "I found a photo with you, a toddler, and baby. Are they your…?" She said and motioned to Laura and then to Clint, who was still unconscious in the hospital bed.

A smile spread onto Laura's face. "Yeah, they're ours," She simply replied. "Cooper and Lila."

Natasha nodded, her face still unreadable to anyone around her. She kept her face blank throughout their whole conversation, which lasted many hours on and off. Natasha never stopped keeping a close eye on her friend, so she was the first to notice when something changed.

It was the heart monitor first, it seemed to increase its beats per minute ever so slightly. Then, she noticed his breathing becoming more apparent, as if he was trying to breathe on his own again.

Laura eventually noticed it too, and neither was prepared to see Clint's ice blue eyes flutter open. Even though they opened for only a few seconds, it was long enough for him to make out the blurry features of both his wife and best friend. In the same room. Together.

Clint smiled as a crashing wave of relief hit him in the face, making him fall back into unconsciousness within a millisecond of the realization.

And that wave of relief didn't slip past Natasha. She noticed it, as if a huge weight had been pushed off of her friend's shoulders. As if hiding this secret had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do but now that it was spilled, it freed him from the duck tape around his mouth.

By that brief interaction, Natasha could tell… Clint was glad that she finally met Laura.

He was glad Natasha finally met his wife.

And after seeing Clint's relief, Natasha finally stood down. She finally let Laura hold Clint's hand like she had been trying to do for hours. Clint's smile was enough to let Natasha know that there was no danger here. It was enough to know that there would be no more secrets to get in the way of their partnership.

But all that happened nearly ten years ago.

Now, Natasha simply reflected on those past events as she sat in a similar intensive care unit with Wanda by her side. In fact, to fill the silence in the air, Natasha told this story aloud about how she discovered Clint's family during a mission gone rouge. Somehow, whenever Clint was badly injured, this memory from a decade ago popped into her head. This time, she thought she might as well share it.

Wanda was becoming a part of the Barton family anyway, she needed a warning to what she would have to put up with.

Plus, it was a nice distraction from the wires and oxygen whiskers coming out if the unconscious archer's body.

Ten years ago Natasha discovered Clint had a happy ending with a family, as he recovered from his horrible injuries. Natasha may have been raised to be a spy her whole life, always living a gloomy backstory like a character in a book, but even she liked happy endings.

She hoped this current situation would have a happy ending too. After all, jumping out of a ten story window was a stupid way to die, even for an idiot like Clint.

Shaking the thoughts of the past aside, Natasha tore her eyes away from Clint's pale form and glanced over at the teen besides her. Wanda was clearly scared that something could still happen to the archer, that his heart could stop beating at any given moment from the extensive injuries, but at least there was a slight smile on her face after hearing the memory Natasha had.

Natasha was glad to ease some of the kid's worries.

"He really is an idiot," Wanda mumbled as she glanced down at the fidgeting hands in her lap. She couldn't lie, it was hard to look at Clint in a hospital bed unconscious, but she couldn't help but smile at the story her friend and mentor told.

She also agreed, it was nice to hear a happy ending.

Natasha let a tiny smirk cross her features as Wanda was catching on to what being a Barton was like. Being a Barton meant having to constantly deal with Clint and his stupid ideas, such as jumping out of a building, but it also meant that Clint would do his best to make happy endings reality.

Natasha looked back at her motionless friend, noticing the heart monitor slightly increase in its beats per minute as she saw Clint's chest start to evenly rise and fall.

A grin inched its way onto her face as she knew he was fighting for at least one more happy ending.

"Yeah, he hasn't changed a bit."

* * *

 **So far, I've been managing to keep some form of schedule with these updates and school. I don't know if it will last but right now I'm enjoying it and college:P Also, I've been experimenting so this chapter is a bit unique as it starts from a memory and goes into the present, but I thought it was fun to mess with even if it ended up being longer than expected XD (Edit: I changed up the ending so it's more clear that it goes into the present, so thanks for the advice and I hope now it's easier to understand:)**

 **I hope you are all enjoying this story and thanks for reading!**


	32. Side Effects (Pt5)

Clint's whole body felt like lead. His arms, his eyelids, even his torso. No, especially his torso. His lungs felt like lead, that was the worst part. It was hard to breathe, he wasn't getting enough oxygen. If his eyelids weren't so heavy he would have tried to open them, to see what was happening to him, but even when he tried in his panic, he was out of consciousness by the time he could get any answers.

The next time he woke, he felt... Nothing. Clint thought he should at least feel pain, immense pain. He honestly couldn't wrap his mind around _why_ he should feel pain, but it felt wrong being absent. He at least knew pain was _supposed_ to be there, but it wasn't. He opened his eyelids just enough to be blinded by spinning light, shutting them immediately after feeling a pounding headache hit him.

He easily decided he didn't want to open them again. Not now. He was tired. Very tired. Sleep would help his hurting brain.

So he did. He slept for what felt like years. By the time he woke next, he was tired of sleeping and Clint did his best to battle for consciousness. He may have been mentally sick of sleeping, but his body didn't take the hint.

He once again failed to stay awake.

It took some time, but eventually he finally did get somewhere with his battle. Behind closed eyes, he grew increasingly aware of what was around him. He felt his body sink into the bed beneath him, he felt something around his stiff arm, and he felt his right leg raised on a soft cushion.

He also felt pain.

Why?

Clint's senses went into overdrive, just as it did on missions. He did his best to appear unconscious to potentially watchful eyes. He wanted to appear out by enemy eyes.

He could be with the enemy if this pain he felt was a mission injury. It had happened before. The enemy got to him first.

Clint tried to rack his brain and remember what happened. He _was_ on a mission at a Hydra base. He knew that much.

Natasha was with him, yeah. It was a long term mission, he'd been undercover at that base for a few weeks.

Was their cover blown? Was the reason he was in pain because he was being tortured?

No, that couldn't be right. Clint was in a bed, his arm clearly held in a sling. Whoever he was with, he was being taken care of.

Was he with Shield? He couldn't be sure, it was difficult to scratch the answers off his brain when he felt drugged. He was clearly given some pain medication, but it wasn't working in his favor as he still felt pain all over.

Clint would just have to stake out this room, wait until someone comes in to spy on their conversation before deciding his next move. For now, he could simply play the unconscious card.

But then he felt a tapping on the exposed skin of his good arm. It took all his strength not to shoot out and grab the hand for suddenly invading his personal space. He had to play dead, not act startled by the contact, but as the tapping continued, he realized something. It was a rhythmic tapping, not just random.

It was Morse code.

Natasha. Her light fingers spelled out her name through the coded taps, since she had been aware of Clint's consciousness for a while. He didn't even know she tried talking to Clint, to let him know he was safe, but based on the lack of response she realized he couldn't hear her. His hearing aids must have been damaged in the explosion, so instead she let him know he wasn't with Hyrda through Morse code.

After years of working in the spy business with him, she knew that if he was conscious enough, he would scope out the situation before officially opening his eyes. They've been trained to be cautious, and she knew Clint constantly was. He had a lot at stake, a lot of people to protect.

Once Clint felt Natasha's presence, he finally did open his eyes. Once again, he was blinded by the bright lights in the room and had to squeeze them closed for a minute to recuperate. But he soon tried again and eventually, his eyes adjusted to the white walls as he found Natasha walking around the bed to sit on a chair near his right side.

His injured, right side. This was the first time he was able to actually see the damage, and it was just as bad as it felt. His right arm rested in a splint and sling, along his smashed ribs by the way it hurt to breathe. His right leg was also resting in a cast raised off the bed, which interfered with the blanket trying to cover him in his hospital gown. By the looks of the little exposed skin he could see, he had a lot of patching up done from stitches and bullet wounds. Basically every inch of him was covered in bruises and injuries.

He looked awful, to say the least.

Clint rested his head deeper within the pillow as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his good hand, trying not to pull at the IV and many tubes attached to it. Just by those simple movements, he felt pain surge through him and had to grit his teeth against making a wheeze.

He didn't need any other information to know this would be a long recovery. Clint hated long recoveries.

He recollected his thoughts from the incident, now remembering the mission in all it's glory as he fell a couple stories out a window. He should have known that exit wouldn't end well...

But before he could wallow in his own stupidity, he noticed a familiar smell in the air. The smell of heaven.

Coffee.

He slowly turned his head to where Natasha had situated herself, seeing the cup of coffee on the bedside table and a file in her lap. When she felt his prying eyes on her, she signed him a short sentence with her hands, mid writing. Clint couldn't help but let out a tiny laugh as he read it, despite how much the action hurt. In a response he simply said back, "I hate you too."

"Idiot," Natasha spoke this time and Clint managed to catch the word on her lips.

So he replied with, "Jerk."

Natasha never broke eye contact with the file as she wrote down a few more sentences onto the stack of papers. After she finished her train of thought, she stood up and plopped the file onto Clint's lap before taking out the tweezers she stole from the hospital's supply closet. She had a feeling his hearing aids might have gone out of commission, so of course stole a pair earlier to be prepared.

She'd had some experience with fixing his hearing aids, after having to multiple times in the middle of a mission. As she managed to free the device from his ears, she observed that they just needed recalibration. They weren't physically damaged, being so close to the loud explosion only messed with sound intake balance. Thankfully, that was one of the few problems she knew how to fix and within minutes, they were back in the ears of the injured archer.

Clint almost missed the quiet. He hated hearing the beeping of the heart monitor he was hooked up to, it was always his least favorite sound.

"Now tell me," Clint finally heard his friend speak as she sat down on the bed. "Why did you have stay out so long? I had to complete all of Fury's mission reports _alone_. I'm doing all the hard work in this partnership."

Clint smirked as he could tell she was genuinely annoyed but drowned it out with lighthearted overtones. "Well, that's a plus for me," He poked fun before his smirk quickly disappeared when he realized what she just said. She said he was out for a while and that was never a good sign. "How long?"

"Three days," She replied, her tone also growing serious. "With all your injuries, you were in surgery a good nine hours. You nearly gave the doctors heart attacks, they didn't know if you would last long enough for them to fix all the damage." She paused before adding, "You almost slipped away once. You were lucky the shrapnel and bullets didn't hit anything major. You came stupidly close this time."

"You know me: Lucky me..."Clint mumbled as he drifted into thought about what she said. He almost slipped away... Most people would find that news terrifying, but after a number of close calls in the past, Clint was simply thinking about all the people he scared the hell out of. He hated putting them through that.

Closing his eyes, he suddenly felt a wave of defeat hit him in the face. "How bad is it?"

Natasha's face dimmed as she adjusted her position on the edge of the bed. "Pretty bad." She responded truthfully. "There was a lot of damage. It's going to take you a good three months at least to recover. With your broken arm, fractured and gashed up leg, concussion, three broken ribs and nearly punctured lungs, not even mentioning the good bang up job you did in general... It'll take a while."

Clint let out a sigh, trying not to breathe too deeply and disturb those broken ribs she mentioned. This recovery was going to suck, he could tell. A broken arm meant no archery. A broken leg meant no walking. _For three months._ He would be sitting for three months cooped up with nowhere to run... He didn't even want to think about that, it was already giving him anxiety.

When he looked back at Natasha, a slight smile grazed her lips. It was as if she was thinking about something hilarious. "What?" Clint asked, finding the situation anything but.

She turned to face him. "Why is it that you always end up in these situations while I almost never do?"

"Except for Helsinki," Clint quickly pointed out. He had to point that mission out, it was one of the few upper hands he had on his friend to mess with her.

"Except for Helsinki," She simply agreed, annoyed that he brought it up again.

Clint smiled slightly at that, causing her to lightly punch his casted leg. As he tried to ignore the pain he felt through the plaster wall, he went back to answering her original question with, "I'm just an incredibly lucky idiot. That's why I end up in these situations."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that part out," She smirked before standing up with her coffee in hand.

Causing Clint to groan. He really wanted some coffee, but he knew no one here would let him drink it for a while. Including Natasha, since he brought up Helsinki. "Why are you tempting me with that drink?" He finally asked, annoyed.

She simply smiled as she took a sip, purposely trying to get on her friend's nerves. "You know why. I'll be back in a bit. I need to hand in these reports and find out when Fury's coming back. The nurses will probably want to know their idiot patient is awake anyway."

As she walked out, Clint knew she was right. He did know why she tempted him with that drink. She liked to punish him with forbidden fruits after he gave her a scare she won't admit.

But Natasha never told Clint that when he was injured, she always had coffee out for another reason. She always hoped that if nothing else, this one smell would be enough motivation for him to come back to them.

No matter how beaten he was, it was a reminder of home. A home he loved and had to come back to.

Or Natasha would personally kill him a second time for not coming back.

* * *

By the time Wanda got word Clint was awake, he had already drifted off to sleep. He awoke when Natasha was with him, but shortly beforehand, the spy directed Wanda to get some rest in a proper bed.

But just because she was directed to go to a real bed, it didn't mean she got sleep. She honestly couldn't do more than drift off for a few minutes, but now that she got word, she wished she was told sooner. She was likely awake at the time he was, and she wished she was able to see Clint awake for herself. She wanted to be sure he was alright.

That's why Wanda found herself currently standing in front of the archer's intensive care unit. It was way past visiting hours, but Fury made sure that the team of Avengers had access to see their friend at any time, as long as it didn't interfere with his doctor's jobs. Wanda took advantage of that as she silently slipped into his room, closing the door behind her.

She needed to be sure. Even if the nurses told her he likely wouldn't be waking for a number of hours, she needed to hear the steady beat of the heart monitor for herself. She wanted to make sure it didn't suddenly stop like it had come so close to doing in surgery.

Wanda's body trembled from the lack of energy and worry, so she sat herself in the chair next to Clint's bedside so she wouldn't topple over. The light beeping ran throughout the room, it was a mechanical sound that always sickened her... But not this time. This time it meant Clint was still alive, and that was enough to give her temporary relief.

That was all she needed him to do, stay alive. She didn't want to lose someone else she'd grown to love.

Wanda noticed Clint's chest rising and falling more evenly than it had been earlier that day, but she noted that just the simple act of trying to breathe hurt immensely even in his sleep, based on the slight scrunching of his face and the occasional wheeze. He really did need the oxygen whiskers to help him out since he nearly broke three ribs into his lungs.

Just seeing the pain in the broken man still hurt Wanda to look at, so eventually she closed her eyes.

She sat there for what could have been five minutes to what could have been an hour, simply focusing on the heartbeat. She made sure it stayed moving at steady, even intervals, not skipping a single beat.

She couldn't help but drift off into a light sleep as the rhythmic pattern soothed her worries. For the moment anyway, because she knew it wouldn't stay that way.

And she was right, it didn't.

Her eyes immediately shot wide open as the pattern skipped a beat, looking at Clint in fear as the beeping started increasing its steady intervals. She was so afraid that something was wrong, but he didn't look like he was in any more pain than before, he only seemed to be breathing a little easier.

She didn't even notice that her own body stopped breathing for the long minute, waiting for something bad to happen, but what simply came was Clint letting out a grunt as he shifted in the bed.

Eventually his eyes opened, taking uncomfortably long to get used to the dim lighting of the room and lights of the machinery.

He didn't even notice Wanda in the room until she finally took in a shaky breath, her body trying to gain more oxygen after being accidentally deprived of it. Clint turned his head to face the direction of the sound, squinting for only a moment as he made out the features of the young girl in front of him. "Wanda?" He asked in a raspy voice, his throat just as dry as earlier in the day.

She could only reply with a broken, "Yeah," of acknowledgment because her body was trying to slow down from the previous spike of adrenaline.

"What are you doing here?" Clint asked, noting it was clearly night by the dark room and tried to wake himself up more by rubbing his eyes with his good hand. He didn't get a good look at her until he placed his bruised hand back down, seeing fear clear within her trembling body.

Adrenaline spiked in his own body. "Are you okay?"

Wanda gave a small smile, glad that she was actually hearing him talk. She needed that, it let her discard a bit more of her worry, even if her mind was still overloaded with stress and had a hard time forming coherent sentences to respond with. "I just… I needed to see… You're alright."

Clint smiled, mainly to reassure her. "I'm okay, Wanda. Trust me when I say I've been through worse."

She was sure he had been, but it didn't scare her any less. This was the first time since Sokovia she experienced a mission going sour, and Clint was caught in the thick of it. Just because he'd been through worse, it didn't make this time any better.

"Hey," Clint said lightly as he still noticed her long face. "What's up?"

She didn't answer for a while and instead shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She took in another shaky breath before replying, "You just… Scared the hell out of us."

Clint couldn't help but frown at what Wanda said. He didn't mean to scare the hell out of her, his team, or family, but it was something he couldn't control.

He wished he could.

"I'm sorry," Clint still apologized. He wanted to say something else, some form of an explanation, but honestly, he couldn't think of the right words. So it stayed at simply that. An apology.

Even in the dark room, he could still tell that a few tears fell from Wanda's face as she wiped her cheeks clean. It took a long moment before she spoke again, but not without her voice cracking. "Just… Promise not to do that again."

Clint would have liked to make that promise, in fact he would have _loved_ to, but he also knew that he couldn't. He knew he was bound to get injured on a mission again, and he knew if Wanda was going to join the Avengers he couldn't sugar coat those risks.

"I never try to get injured on missions," Clint began, "But understand that it will keep happening whether I promise it won't or not. Everyone gets injured on these missions at some point, even you, and some will be worse than others."

Clint took a moment to gather his annoyingly hazy thoughts and laid deeper into the bed. Sighing, he looked at the ceiling. "I hate it when I get caught and nearly killed in the crossfire. I hate it when I put the people I care about through all the worry and fear because of me, but it comes with the job description. My job more than most, and me more than most employees."

Wanda thought silently on what he was saying. She understood he couldn't make her that promise, even though she wanted him to not get hurt again, but after another contemplative minute, she glanced up from her fidgeting hands and looked at Clint. "Why _'you more than most employees_?'"

Clint could help but give a little laugh, even if it sent a twinge of pain to run through his chest. "The Avengers, they are a gang of super people with super suits or super powers. They do the tasks that can't be done by normal agents or normal men. Then, there's me. I'm just an ordinary archer biting off more than I can chew. I'm bound to get injured more often than those super healing heroes."

Wanda couldn't help but give a slight smile at his light tone of voice when discussing the topic. "Then why are you the idiot doing something you probably shouldn't?"

"Because idiot is my middle name. Natasha can confirm that," He smiled before remembering why he joined the Avengers in the first place. He joined during the battle of New York, after Loki's mind control. He fought to protect the people in the city from dying, but he also knew he would be lying if he said that was the only reason he fought. He knew he also fought to see Loki pay for what he'd done, and to prove him wrong. To prove that he wasn't the killer Loki made him be.

As he remembered the day and reasons he joined, he finished his answer to Wanda. "I'm the idiot who dragged myself into this mess when it all began, and I'm frankly way too stubborn to get out of it. I'm seeing this team through to the end, or at least until I retire."

"At the rate you're going, you'll retire soon," Wanda gave a small smile as the atmosphere was no longer filled to the brim with worry.

But Clint couldn't deny that his eyelids were starting to feel very heavy after staying awake for so long to talk and ease that worry. He could barely stay awake for a half hour with Natasha and the doctors earlier, and he knew he was in a similar situation now. He knew the drowsiness was bound to pull him back under within minutes, and Wanda could tell that he would soon lose his battle to stay awake.

Before he could drift off into unconsciousness, however, Wanda wanted to tell Clint something he had the right to know. "Hey, Clint?"

"Hmm?" Was his response as his eyes slowly closed.

Wanda hesitated to continue, wondering if he would stay awake long enough for him to hear her, but thought he might as well know sooner than later. "When you were drifting during your transport to the hospital… I know you hate the mind intrusion thing, but... I took a peak."

She let him process what he was saying for a moment, and as a slight frown came onto his face she quickly justified her reasoning. "I'm sorry, I didn't look deep or anything, I... I just... I needed to know you were alright..." She stuttered as she looked at her fidgeting hands. She purposely made a point to not use her mental powers on her friends, she didn't want to uncover her friends' secrets, it felt... Wrong. But she only took that peak to help her realize he was still with them, without him needing to respond physically. That was all she looked for when she scratched the surface of his brain.

Despite Clint hating the fact that someone else had been in his mind, his frown turned into a smile. "Hmm, you were that voice in my head…" He mumbled upon remembering the familiar voice that ran through his mind before he passing out completely on the helicopter. He remembered that small voice telling him he would be alright and saying he was safe. He didn't realize until now that it had been Wanda's familiar voice.

Before he drifted off into unconsciousness now though, he said one last thing to the teen. "If I'm ever in a similar situation, and you're worried if I'll be alright or not, I give you permission to take a peak if it helps." But from Clint's fleeting consciousness, he let out an almost drunk laugh. He joked, "Just don't uncover my life story."

Whatever Wanda was expecting from telling him, she wasn't expecting... That. She expected Clint to be mad, but instead he said _that_. She didn't know if it was the drowsiness and medication talking or actually him speaking, so she didn't know how to respond. In the end, she just nodded, despite knowing Clint wasn't able to see it through closed eyes.

Clint had already drifted off by that time anyway, so he didn't need an answer. Even if the medication in his system was affecting him from thinking properly, what he said wasn't a result of that.

If Wanda needed comfort in a bad situation, and he couldn't supply it because he was too injured to, he was glad to lend his mind for a few seconds if it helped let her know he was okay.

After all, he hated seeing his family worry. Especially his kids.

* * *

 **Edit: I changed the ending of the last chapter so if you want to read it, feel free to go back. I think the new ending makes more sense in the context of the chapter:)** **Also, sorry for the chapter wait but sickness in college is not a fun experience...:P**


	33. Piece of Home (Pt6)

Clint woke up to the light beeping of the medical equipment, and the feeling of a gentle hand holding his left. Even before he opened his eyes, a grin spread across his face as he instantly recognized the soft touch. Opening his eyes, he saw his wife sitting in a chair next to his bedside.

"Hey honey," Clint said quietly, partly because he was still in the process of fully waking up.

Laura smiled back for the first time in days before whispering, "Hey, _Hawkeye_."

She leaned forward so they could share a kiss. It was in an awkward position, one that couldn't prevent Clint from feeling a small bit of pain, but at this point, neither of them cared. It had been a long five days of waiting to see each other, a long five days of waiting for the mission to cool down before it was safe for Laura to visit. His family's safety was Clint's highest priority, and now that Laura was here, he couldn't be more relieved that the coast was officially clear.

A hint of pain was a small price to pay for this moment of reunion.

But all good things must come to an end and eventually, they did pull away from their embrace. As Clint reached for the bed controls, he only found that Laura beat him to it. Once Clint was in a better sitting position, the slight grimace he made at the bed's movement didn't go unnoticed and she immediately worried, "Should I move it lower?"

Clint waved his good hand to indicate he was fine, even if he looked far from it. Even after spending the past few days in bed, he was still pretty beat up. The painkillers helped slightly, but there were many visible signs of the disaster as his face was bruised and there were various stitches covering his body. The fact that he looked horrible didn't make Laura worry any less.

Noticing how she bit her lip, Clint decided to change the subject away from him and his discomfort. "When did you come out?" He asked. Clint knew she was bound to come up soon based on his relocation to a hospital in America, a hospital with better Shield protection, but he didn't know how long she had been here based on his nap.

"This morning, I arrived about an hour ago. Fury gave me the thumbs up yesterday and I left as soon as I could," Laura began to update her husband. "Wanda was willing to watch the rascals, I don't know if she updated you or not."

Clint nodded, remembering that Wanda told him she was heading to the farm this weekend. She wanted a break from the hospital. He could tell being here made her anxious, so he was glad she was getting space from the anxiety. "How's she doing?" Clint couldn't stop himself from asking.

Laura leaned back in her seat. "She was pretty tense when she came up. You're growing on her, you know. She's starting to look up to you, and you scared the living daylights out of her."

He already knew that much by the conversation he had with Wanda a few nights ago, but Clint couldn't help but sigh. "I know..."

Knowing she didn't want to make Clint feel more guilty for something he couldn't change, she finished answering his original question. "Other than that, she's doing fine. The kids are getting her mind off of the situation, so I think she'll be okay. But how are _you_ feeling?"

Clint gave out a light laugh to get his mind off of the side effects he'd caused. "I feel like I fell five stories and got crushed. I'll be fine, don't worry." He tightly gripped the nervous woman's hand.

She squeezed back, bringing it up to her lips to lightly kiss Clint's left hand. "You better be fine, Clinton Francis Barton, or I'll get Natasha back in here. You also better hurry up and heal."

Clint smirked. "I'll do my best, ma'am."

They sat there for a while in silence, tightly holding each other's hands as if it were their lifeline. At some point, Laura held their hands up to her cheek, desperate for the warmth of her husband as the stress from the past few days was starting to catch up with her again.

It wasn't long before Clint noticed a stream of tears on her cheeks as the water hit their holding hands. His features softened as he tried to look Laura in the eyes. "Hey, hey… Honey… Laura, what's wrong?"

It took Laura a good few moments to gather enough strength to answer through her broken breaths. She didn't face Clint, instead looking at their holding hands where Clint began to gently rub circles on her skin to calm her. "It's just… You, are _so_ incredibly lucky..." She paused to gain her composure. "Do you realize how lucky you are that you manage to come back from these missions, _alive_?"

As she finished, she finally turned to face him, a couple tears still running down her face. She was a tough woman, but every so often the stress he caused would break her down. It was hard to deal with his messes constantly, so it was his job to help build her back up when a wall or two crumbled.

Clint loosened his grip on her hand in order to place it on her cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb. He smiled at her, making sure to keep her eye contact as she placed her hand over his, resting her face onto the calloused fingers she'd learned to love.

"You're right," He said, "I am incredibly lucky. I'm lucky that I'm, overall, going to be okay. I'm lucky that I have friends who look out for me. I'm lucky that I get to come home from these missions. I'm lucky to have a family, and I'm lucky to have you... The list goes on because I _am_ incredibly lucky, and I realize that every day."

Laura smiled as she closed her eyes, still tightly holding his hand to her cheek. "I'm lucky to have you too," She whispered as she once more shared eye contact with her husband. Even if he caused her so much worry, there was no way she could hate him for it. "I love you, Clint."

"And I love you, Laura," He replied as she leaned in for another kiss. This time when they pulled apart, Clint couldn't help but mumble, "Ow," from the motion. He smirked as he adjusted the blanket around his waist."I guess that's a little too strenuous… But worth it."

Laura rolled her eyes and wiped away the remaining tears. "Just don't kill yourself while you're in the hospital. You came this far."

"Oh don't worry, I still plan on sticking around for a while," He smiled. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

His smile seemed to be contagious as it made Laura crack her own. Still tightly holding her husband's hand, she leaned back into her seat and took in a deep breath as their silence let the past conversation sink in. She finally glanced around the room, taking in the layout of the land now that her worry for Clint was eased. She couldn't help but notice a vase of flowers on a bedside table and how much happier the bright colors made the room feel. "Who are those from?"

"Those?" Clint questioned as he glanced where she was looking. "Oh, those. I'm pretty sure Cap sent them. He said that they were from both him and Nat, but we all know Tasha never sends me flowers."

Laura nodded in understanding. Natasha had her own way of caring about Clint, but it was more through punches than flowers. "Was it just the three of you on this mission?"

Clint shrugged as best he could. "It was mainly Tasha and I, but the Captain was standing by just in case with Wanda and a team. It was a good thing they were nearby."

"Yeah," Laura smiled at the thought. She was glad they had been there to help save Clint.

As she looked back at the flowers the team sent, it reminded her of another gift. Picking up her bag from the floor, she rummaged through it a minute. "Speaking of gifts… Lila wanted to give this to you since she couldn't come visit," Laura said as she referred to the rule Fury set in place. He wouldn't allow the kids to come visit Clint in the hospital, just to be extra careful. Plus, Laura and Clint weren't sure they wanted the kids to see him in such a bad state. At least when he was allowed to leave the hospital, he was in slightly better condition.

As Laura handed Clint a piece of paper, she continued, "She thought your room could use some spicing up."

When Clint saw the drawing, he didn't know that it was the same picture Lila was working on the day they got the call. He simply knew that it was a beautiful masterpiece of the deer family in the forest, along with an added 'get well soon' message on the back that the three of them wrote.

Clint placed the paper in his lap, unable to take his eyes off of the photo. He was nearly speechless, but managed to let a few words fall out. "Tell Lila it's beautiful... I love it."

He couldn't help but grin widely as he continued to look down at the deer prancing around in the crayon forest. Everyone signed it with love, and he could basically feel it as he held the page in his hand. It was the piece of home he needed to lift his spirits.

Looking back up at Laura with that same smile, he knew one thing for certain about his recovery process.

Clint couldn't wait to spend it at home.


	34. Finally Home (Recovery Pt1)

Clint was finally home. It had taken three weeks, but he made it. He wasn't even in the house yet and it was already amazing to be back. Being trapped in a hospital was basically torture for him, and he was so thankful it was over.

The doctors finally released him from his sentence to let him recover at home, since most of his injures were healing nicely. The stitches under his leg cast were taken out the day before, and that was a small taste of freedom the bulky plaster. Unfortunately, the fractured leg wasn't finished healing and now he had a brand new cast, but he was glad for even that temporary relief as he was still going to be suffering for a while.

His minor stitches had come out earlier, leaving only scattered scars to add to his collection, and when the doctors were sure that his injured ribs were healed enough to be moving out of bed, they finally let him go.

Clint's shackles were still going to stick around, but at least he was out of prison.

Now, winter had started settling in their Iowa home with Christmas just around the corner. Clint was unbelievably glad to be freed of the confined space and white walls to at least celebrate the holidays. Three weeks of staying in one spot, _inside_ a building... He was surprised the anxiety he got from that hadn't killed him already.

He took in a breath of the frosty air, his lips curling into a smile as Laura prepared his wheelchair outside of the truck. Clint could walk, but he was under orders to walk as little as possible. He was supposed to mainly use the wheelchair to get around, but after years of injuring himself, even Laura knew he would bend some rules.

Clint got out of the passenger seat of the truck, doing his best to lean on the support of the vehicle before plopping down onto the chair. He closed the truck door from his lower than normal position as Laura helped cart him through the light layer of snow covering their long, gravel driveway.

When he got to the porch, he stood up again. They had yet to set up a makeshift ramp on the steps, so he had to stand up and allow Laura to bring up the chair separately. Clint was basically beaming at the, _"horrible inconvenience,_ " since any excuse to stand up and walk was a lifesaver for him. He was perfectly glad to hobble up the steps while leaning against the railing.

It was a process, but by the time he made it up the last step, Laura had the door open and the wheelchair waiting for him across the threshold.

Laura would have offered to help him to his seat, seeing his struggle, but she knew he was much to stubborn to accept it as he made his way over himself. The second he sat down again, Clint was greeted by Lila and Cooper bombarding him with hugs.

Clint's smile grew as wide as it possibly could. "Hey kiddos!" He laughed as he group hugged them back with his good arm. The hint of pain from his still healing ribs was well worth this hug.

"Welcome back, _dad_ ," Cooper smirked as Lila piped in her own response.

"We really missed you," She said, refusing to let go.

Clint didn't mind the prolonged hug as he replied a little quieter, "I really missed you guys too. It's been ages..."

It took a while, but eventually their hug ended and the kids finally started taking in their father's current appearance. He had a cast covering his whole right leg, making the limb stick straight out from the inability to bend it. He had a matching cast on his right arm resting along his chest, and his face was still healing from bruises, but he was looking significantly better with each passing day. The fact alone that he was home already made him look and feel better.

The kids looked at the two casts and deviously shared a glance. "Can we sign them?" Cooper asked the question on their minds.

"Now, when have I ever said no? They've been looking barren for weeks…" Clint happily smirked, knowing exactly what they were up to and was glad for it.

As soon as he gave his approval, they ran into another room to grab some supplies. Clint missed seeing his kids more than ever, at least doing his job kept him busy and distracted when he was away, but recovering in the hospital for weeks... He had too much time to dwell on the fact that he missed them.

Laura helped him take off his winter coat, and as she hung it on the rack, she saw Wanda come down the stairs from just putting Nathaniel to bed.

She smiled as she saw Clint, glad to see him out of the hospital. "I thought I heard some chaos down here..."

Clint did his best to turn his chair around and better face Wanda, but before he could say anything, Laura said, "Yeah, the main troublemaker just came home."

"Why do I always get the feeling you guys gang up on me?" Clint replied with a grin while shaking his head. When he finally contorted the chair to see everyone, he decided to change the topic. "Thanks for watching the kids, Wanda."

She nodded. "It's no problem. It's easier to babysit them than it is to babysit you."

Laura couldn't help but chuckle in agreement as Clint playfully rolled his eyes. He wasn't even going to bother combating her wit because he knew she was right, it was much harder to keep him out of trouble.

"Come on, let's banter over here so we have room when Lila and Cooper come back," Laura said and helped navigate Clint's wheelchair into the living room without bumping into any of the furniture. She and Wanda had already started moving the furniture around this past week to make sure he'd have enough space to move around in, but there were still some adjusting that needed to be done.

Laura positioned him near the coffee table and she briefly leaned in to share a soft kiss with her husband. She'd worry about arranging furniture later, for now, she was just glad to have Clint back.

Wanda observed their affection with a smile before the kids interrupted their moment by running in seconds later, art supplies filling their hands. When they reached the coffee table, they messily dropped the colorful Sharpies everywhere.

"What's this for?" Wanda asked, a bit confused on why the kids just made a mess and their parents weren't complaining.

"We're going to color dad's casts!" Lila said with excitement before Cooper explained why.

"The first time dad came back with a cast, we decorated it. It's a lot of fun, and now we do it every time."

The kids had been very young the first time they saw a cast on Clint. In their toddler eyes they saw it as a blank canvas needing color, so when Clint took a nap on the couch they basically vandalized his broken arm. Ever since then, they insisted on decorating a cast he had. Over time, it naturally became a whole family affair. It became tradition to have these family drawing sessions whenever he came home injured. It helped lift his spirits whenever he looked down at the thing immobilizing him for months, and it was one of the only perks of getting injured on the job.

"Why don't you join in on our family tradition, Wanda?" Clint said as Cooper handed him a purple marker.

Wanda thought about it for a moment, finding the idea a little silly. She hadn't colored in years and to her, it was an activity for kids. But as she observed them all grabbing markers, she noticed that even Laura and Clint seemed to enjoy it.

Deciding to go out on a limb, she grabbed her own marker. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try, maybe she would enjoy it even if she had no idea what or how to draw.

As the three girls got started drawing on Clint's leg, Cooper worked with him on his arm cast. Since Clint's ribs were still healing, Cooper was in charge of handing him a new Sharpie from the table every so often. Clint wasn't an artist by any means, but after coloring with the kids for years, he did his best to draw his bow and quiver. Along with joining in on some of the Avengers designs Cooper was drawing.

For the next hour, the family bonded over vandalizing Clint's injuries and catching up with what they missed. It had apparently been an eventful few weeks as school was nearing its winter break for Cooper and Lila, and even Wanda had a number of stories to tell since she'd been watching the kids on and off during that time. Steve and Natasha understood Laura needed a little help whenever Clint was injured, so they were glad to give Wanda a little time off. They wanted to give her time to recuperate too, knowing she'd been growing increasingly closer to the Barton's and she was affected by the scare of the injury.

Once they filled up a majority of the white space with bright colors, designs, messages, and pictures, they took time to admire each other's work.

"I think these are the most colorful casts yet," Clint smiled at the finished product. He looked at what Lila drew and she completely changed the side of his leg into a forest scene with trees, grass, and even the family of deer. "Now that's pretty darn cool," He said while pointing with his good arm. It was almost like he was in the forest he couldn't roam in a wheelchair.

He could already tell it would help relieve some of his inside anxiety.

Lila smiled at the compliment as Clint's eyes wandered to the rest of the cast. He laughed as he saw one of the pictures Laura drew. It was a heart with an arrow through it and the letters, "L & C."

On Wanda's end, he noticed she didn't draw much. She mainly helped out with drawing Lila's forest, but she did attempt to add a picture of a bird. "Is that a hawk?" Clint sighed at her play on his code name.

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of a chicken..." She smirked at managing to make Lila and Cooper giggle.

"I'm liking what Cooper drew," Laura changed to subject and hid her laughter in hopes to spare Clint from more teasing today. Cooper had drawn various symbols the Avengers team had, such as Cap's shield, Thor's hammer, the Avengers logo, and more among the many small designs filling up his arm.

"I like how these casts turned out," Lila proudly proclaimed.

"Me too," Cooper agreed.

Clint raised his good hand to give everyone high fives. "Good work team! I pronounce these to be the best casts in family history."

Smiles grew around the room and when Wanda joined in on Clint's team high five, Lila asked her, "Did you like our tradition?"

Wanda nodded and honestly replied, "Yeah, actually. You guys have a lot of cool traditions."

"I think you should be included in all our family traditions!" Lila bounced in her seat on the floor. "Since you're family now."

She was family now, there was no escaping the way Cooper and Lila called Wanda their older sister when talking with their friends at school and even to her, personally. They engraved the fact into her brain that she was growing into their family, so it was nearly impossible to ignore or deny.

And Wanda didn't want to ignore or deny it. The Barton's may not be able to replace the family she did lose, but she wasn't comparing the two. After all, she had now become part of three very different families and nothing can compare to the unique experiences each one of them brought her.

"I'd love to be a part of all your traditions," Wanda said. Any chance she could join the Barton's unique family experience, she was glad to take. Even if there was a scare or two, she was glad to finally gain happy memories again.

Clint wasn't the only one finally home.


	35. Family Therapy (Recovery Pt2)

"Are you ready, Clint?" Natasha asked as her friend finished saying 'goodbye' to his family. Looking back up at her, Clint nodded and began wheeling himself down their makeshift porch ramp and onto the cold, dirt driveway.

Since a normal wheelchair required the use of both working arms, this wasn't a normal wheelchair. This chair had a lever which worked as a pump, allowing him to move forwards and change directions easily with his left hand. It was the closest thing to working he was going to get since he was immobile, and he was glad to have this exercise. Even if it _was_ a lot of work to move his whole body with one arm down his endless driveway.

By the time he reached the jet, Clint was practically out of breath. For once, he was glad to let Natasha take over his work and push him up the steep quinjet ramp as he waved one last time to his wife and kids.

And with that, the two were off to New York.

Each weekend, Clint was required to go back to the Avengers base for physical therapy and check ups. If he wanted to get back on his feet soon, and in prime condition, he still had a lot of work to get done.

But not all of it had to be work, he was still planning to have some fun while outside of his house. Even if he loved being with Laura and the kids, he loved to visit his second family too. He couldn't stay a caged bird for long, and it was nice to have an excuse to spend time with both of his families and get some fresh air.

It was less than an hour later before they landed at the facility, Natasha splitting off to help Steve train the young Avengers. Clint continued on his own path to see the physical therapist alone, until his progress was stopped when he turned a corner, nearly colliding with someone else in the halls.

"Woah!" The familiar voice of Tony said as he stumbled to avoid the collision, trying to prevent his coffee cup from spilling out of his hand. When he finally looked down to see who he almost hit, he saw Clint in his wheelchair. "Oh, sorry Hawk. I didn't even see you there," He said while studying him. "Did you shrink?"

As a smirk plastered itself on Tony's face, Clint gained his own. "Yeah, I did. For once, you don't need heels to be taller than me..."

Tony's smirk was slapped off his face. "I hope you're only here to go on a mission..." Tony's monotone reply let him know he didn't appreciate it Clint's 'short joke'. All the Avengers knew that Tony hated short jokes, especially once they found out he purposely put a heel in his suit to make him appear taller as Iron Man. Ever since that discovery, the Avengers would occasionally share a joke, much to Tony's dismay.

Clint shrugged to try and move their conversation forward with, hopefully, the last word. "Physical therapy. But why are you here, Tony? You aren't usually at this facility."

Tony unwillingly decided to let the short joke slide. For now. "Had to talk with Fury about a few security details, but wow…" Tony exclaimed as he properly looked down at his injured friend. Currently, Clint had a blanket over his legs to cover the colorful pictures from passerby's eyes. He didn't want a random agent interrogating him over his colorful casts and expose his kids. However, his arm cast was still exposed and Tony took note of the many designs, including the Avengers ones. "That's a very… Colorful cast there. Did the kids prank you while you were sleeping?"

Clint laughed remembering the similar situation that started this cast decorating. "Well, Laura and I joined in. It's more of a tradition than a prank."

"You get injured _that_ often, you made it a tradition? Are you sure you're fit for this job?" Tony smirked.

Instead of denying it, Clint shrugged. "Either way, you can't get rid of me, I'll just keep coming back."

After saying that, Tony knew he was right, he would always keep coming back like the rest of them. If there was one thing all the Avengers had in common, it was that they were all too stubborn to quit.

As Tony looked back down at Clint's covered leg, he couldn't help but wonder what designs were hiding under it. "Seeing what you guys did to your arm, I'm curious to see what's on you leg..."

Clint rolled his eyes before glancing around the hallway. When he saw nobody else in the vicinity, he lifted the blanket to cure Tony of his curiosity. His jaw dropping was enough to make Clint chuckle.

"And I thought the arm was colorful..." Tony shook his head in disbelief at the sight of the forest scene among the other designs. Rubbing his beard, he continued to stare at it with wide eyes.

Without warning, his face changed to one of contemplation as an idea dawned on him. "You know what…" Tony said and quickly started patting his suit jacket for a pen. Whipping one out a second later, he said, "May I?"

Clint had to admit he was curious as to what Tony was up to, so he silently motioned towards the casts. "Be my guest."

Bending down by Clint's leg, he carefully scratched the ink onto one of the few blank spaces of the plaster. After a minute, he stood up and Clint was able to see what he did. He wrote his signature big and bold, adding a message reading, _"Don't break anything else, Hobbit."_

Clint half sighed and half laughed as the billionaire officially got the last word. "There," Tony proclaimed, "Now you have the most expensive cast you can get, because it has my priceless signature."

"I am honored to have _The_ Tony Stark's signature on my lowly, old cast," Clint mocked with a smile still present on his face. There may have been times Clint hated the billionaire, but moments like these always made him glad to have Tony as a friend. He always tried to keep a smile on their faces in rough situations.

Clint continued, "Maybe when it's off I'll sell it on Ebay. Now, I'd love to stay and rebuttal you some more, but you're holding me up from physical therapy."

Tony stepped aside with an exaggerated wave to let him pass. "Oh, we can't have you miss that. You have to get back in the field or Fury will be extra grumpy at all my meetings."

As Clint started his way forward, he heard Tony in the distance say, "See you rolling around, Hobbit."

With a sigh, he didn't bother putting his blanket back over his leg as he continued his way forward. He was close to the therapy room anyways, and he wanted his therapist to see the designs.

Folding the fabric in his lap outside of his destination's doors, it was only second's after he entered that he was greeted with comments on his cast from Doctor Marta Shearing. "Nice! You're kids are back at it again I see..." She said and instantly admired the artwork on his cast this time. "I think this is the best injury yet. There's actually a whole forest scene... And is that the deer I heard about?"

Nodding, Clint smiled. Marta had seen all his colorful casts in the past, and he had come to know her well over the years. She was a brilliant scientist he basically recruited into Shield when she got wrapped up too deeply into one of his solo missions.

She was a survivor of a lab shootout, but she wasn't supposed to be a survivor. She managed to escape the first storm, but she didn't know a second was coming to finish the job. Clint was sent to intervene and managed to help her escape. She even found a new life with Shield, since her old one would've gotten her killed.

She wasn't always a physical therapist either, she was a biochemist who studied gene modification in the lab that had the shootout, but after that situation she decided to change paces a bit. She was still a scientist for Shield, but also studied and became Clint's regular physical therapist whenever he was injured on the job. She was one of the few people who managed to keep Clint in check while healing. That in itself was a feat.

"You're right, those are the famous deer," He replied. "It's good to see you again, Marta."

"You're late," She accused.

"I had a surprise run in with Tony," Clint defended.

Directing him out of the therapy room and down the corridor, she sighed. "Of course it was. Mr. Stark likes making everyone late..."

As silence fell upon them in their mini stroll, Clint broke it by asking, "Where are we heading?"

"We're going to see Dr. Spencer to get a few x-rays before we start. See how you're healing." She simply replied.

With that, it wasn't long before they took the x-rays and smiled at the results. "Well, your injuries are healing rather nicely. Hopefully within the next three weeks your leg fracture will be healed enough so you can get that cast off. A shame though, you guys just decorated it," She said as she handed him the scans.

"Well, the sooner it's off the better." Clint said as he took and studied them. The fracture clearly had healed significantly over the past few weeks, but it would still take a little bit more time.

"The arm will probably take a little longer, but at least you'll be able to fully walk soon and stop having to get around in a wheelchair."

"Thank god," Clint let out a relieved breath as she put the x-rays in Spencer's medical files and headed back to the therapy room for their session. "Man, I wish I was young again and these bones would heal in, like, three weeks."

"Well, you've gotta grow old sometime," She laughed. "You can't keep doing this forever, you know."

"I'm going to try," Clint smirked as they finally got to their therapy session. As they did basic muscle exercises, Marta guiding Clint through them, they caught up like old friends. She couldn't help but go off into a tangent or two about her current lab work on genes, and Clint couldn't get out of telling her the full story behind these injuries.

After, Marta joined in on Tony's idea of signing his cast. She ended up writing a sweet message about strength before heading off to attend other Shield work. Clint smiled at how supportive Marta always was, nothing seemed to have broken her spirit throughout the years, even the rough mission where they met. Clint admired that.

Pumping the lever of his wheelchair, his main work was done for the day and it was finally time for some fun. He made his way to the main gym in the facility, the one he knew the Avengers trained at. It was a huge room which included many training obstacles, but the one Clint payed attention to was in the back corner of the room. Various machines Tony created ran through training exercises, the young Avengers doing their best to take the metal minds down.

For minutes on end, Clint simply sat behind one of the observation windows, seeing how Vision, Wanda, Sam, and Rhodey were taking out Tony's practice robots without their powers one by one. Occasionally, he heard shouted orders from either the team of four or Steve off to the side, but they seemed to be doing well at anticipating each other's movements.

Steve was right, their teamwork had improved significantly.

When they were nearing the end of their exercise, almost all the bots taken out, Clint finally decided he was safe enough from flying debris to enter. He easily rolled through the automatic door and pumped himself over to where Steve and Natasha stood.

Natasha didn't even acknowledge Clint to know he was there as she kept her eyes glued to the team. "Sloppy back stab, Rhodes!" She shouted.

Noting the critic, they all took out the last bot and caught a breath before acknowledging a job well done through giving each other high-fives. On their way over, they smiled when they noticed Clint for the first time.

"Hey, there he is!" Sam said and lightly punched the man's shoulder. "Flightless! The man certainly living up to his name!"

"We're not done boys," Natasha cleared her throat in slight annoyance before she and Steve updated the team. Their lesson wasn't over and she was clear in pointing that out as the two continued to teach and give feedback on what improvements still needed to be made. It felt like they were all in school again as it seemed like an hour before they were released for the day.

Though none of them left. It had been weeks since most of them had seen Clint since the incident and wanted to catch up on the details.

Clint wasn't surprised that the first thing Rhodey brought up was, "So, what's with the cast?" He asked as he looked down at the colorful arm and blanket covered leg.

Clint smiled before taking off the blanket. They were bound to see the rest at some point and plus, Clint didn't mind showing off his kids' work to his friends. He was rather proud of it. "So many people are asking me about them, I guess I don't blend in very well."

Most of the team's eyebrows raised at the other cast joining the mix. "Not with all those bright colors," Rhodey laughed before he bent down to get a closer look at them. After a moment of observing the forest on his leg, he noticed a fresh design. "Wait, did Tony just sign it?"

"Yes he did," Clint said before taking out a pen from his own pocket and holding it out. "Feel free to join his act of vandalism. I think these casts are so forgone that more filled space won't make any difference in getting noticed less."

Rhodey took the pen first with a devious smile. "Any chance to vandalize a mark Tony's made in the world, I'm up for."

He wrote his own signature above Tony's and wrote a little note saying " _The better Iron Man,"_ with a huge arrow pointing to Rhodey's name.

Clint laughed. "You guys act like kids."

"Well," He replied and handed the pen over to Steve. "As long as I'm the cooler kid..."

Steve wrote his name next, managing to find the Captain America shield that Cooper had drawn on his arm and signed his name next to that with a simple note of _"Get well soon."_

They continued down the line of teammates after that. Natasha wrote a note of simply, " _Idiot_ ," which only made Clint shake his head. Wanda had already wrote a note when she visited which read, _"Thanks old man."_ Sam's said, _"Nice shot,"_ referring to the poor decision making Clint had, but when it came time for Vision's turn, he was very confused as to what he was supposed to do.

"I am supposed to sign this, correct?" He asked and as soon as everyone nodded, he continued, "But I do not have a signature…"

"Well then," Wanda answered as she moved to stand beside him, "It's about time you get one. Just spell out, ' _Vision_ ,' one letter at a time."

Still very confused on how to write, since he had never done it before, he nodded and took his best guess. He held the pen in a slightly awkward position as he pressed the ink onto the cast, doing his best to write his identity onto the plaster. It took him a minute, but he eventually got his name down in an uneven fashion as if a toddler had wrote it. "Is that alright?" Vision asked, still unsure if he did it correctly.

"Could use some practice, but it's looking good." Rhodey stated as he observed the writing.

Satisfied, Vision silently handed Clint back the pen as Wanda piped in, "If you want to learn how to write, I could help teach you," She offered.

"I would appreciate that," Vision commented as the two shared a smile that didn't go unnoticed by the team.

Coughing as he noted Wanda's slight blushing, Clint slipped the pen into his pocket and changed the topic. "So, I clearly ran into Tony earlier. Did he swing by you guys too?"

Steve sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We saw Tony alright."

"Cap's just annoyed his training schedule was interrupted again." Sam smirked at his friend.

Steve grinned. "Yeah, that's why training ran a little late today. I'm sure you all enjoyed the extra work..." He deviously answered.

"Totally," Sam replied, monotone while the others mentally sighed.

"Since this is Tony we're talking about, I assume something interesting happened in his brief visit?" Clint interrogated as the team walked out of the training area to talk in a more private location.

"Oh, you have no idea. Don't worry, we'll tell you all about it…" Sam said as they walked down the halls of the base with Clint rolling right alongside his second family.

And as they told their story about how Tony barged in and started running the show, much to Steve's dismay, Clint couldn't help but grin while he enjoyed the new additions to his casts at the same time. His friends' signatures made the plaster feel much more complete than it already had been, the missing pieces filled.

After all, he was a part of two families and without one of them, he would be incomplete himself.

* * *

 **Sorry for the late updating, life has been busy, but a fun busy. I've been making room for some other activities I love and missed in my life, but that means I've lost some time to write in the process. Updates may be slow right now but I'll eventually get the hang of balancing it all and plus, some breaks are coming up so hopefully updates will be sooner rather than later:)**

 **You also may have noticed that sometimes I like to put in little easter eggs that hint at other movies Jeremy Renner had been in, so there was a connection for one in this chapter. It's just a fun thing I like to add in and I hope you all enjoy them and this story! Thanks for continuing to read and support!:D**


	36. Barn Roamer (Recovery Pt3)

"Are you sure you don't need help? I don't want you sliding on the ice." Laura worried as she helped Clint put on his winter jacket from his sitting position.

Turning his head to face her, Clint gave a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, Laura. I know how to avoid the ice patches."

Hoping he had won his battle of reassurance after ten minutes of debating back and fourth, he was proven unsuccessful when Laura continued worrying. "Don't wander too far, I don't want you getting stranded out there."

Struggling to put his glove over the ends of the arm cast, he simply replied, "Yes ma'am," While his wife leaned down to kiss the top of his hat-covered head.

As Clint was about to open the door, Laura grabbed a blanket from the couch, tossing it into his lap. "Here. For your legs."

Clint chuckled as he remembered a few jokes his friends made when he roamed around the Avengers facility wearing the blanket. "I think I'm okay, Laura."

"No you're not, Clinton. If you're going to be outside for who knows how many hours, you're wearing the blanket. I don't need you getting frostbite."

Clint playfully rolled his eyes. "Okay, but it's your fault for making me feel like a senior citizen."

"Well," She smirked, "I wouldn't mind if you retired early."

Clint laughed. "At the rate I'm going, I might have to."

Before Clint opened the door, he draped the blanket over him and tucked it under his obnoxious leg cast so it wouldn't get in the way of the wheels. As he silently struggled to do this with his one good arm, he wished he didn't have his arm cast so he could just use crutches. It would have made everything significantly easier these past few weeks, especially moving around.

Slowly, he rolled himself down the homemade ramp that laid across their porch steps.

Laura stood in the doorway, making sure he got down safely. "Stay warm honey," Laura said, mild worry still lacing her voice.

"I'll do my best, ma'am," Clint said before she closed the door with a smile. No matter what, she would still worry about the smallest of actions even when there were bigger worries with his job. Over the years she's learned to worry about everything Clint did since he tended to get injured in the smallest of ways. Even though she worried a lot, she was glad Clint was getting himself outside. She knew he needed some time to himself.

And for the first time in months through hospital and therapy visits, Clint was finally alone. For a few minutes, he simply sat where he was in the driveway, letting the deep breaths of frosty winter air chill his lungs while he looked out at the farm property which had recently gotten a heavy layer of snow. The white landscape seemed to stretch out forever, until it hit the trees of the forest. There was the occasional green pine peeking out from under the snow covered forest, but for the most part, everything was a blank canvas. It felt like forever since he'd seen his home's winter landscape.

After a few minutes of letting the wind bite his cheeks, he decided to move around on their long driveway. Laura had already snow plowed it with their truck before it could pile up higher, so what was left on the gravel was the occasional ice patch and muddy slush.

It took Clint some time to move since pumping the lever back and forth was a lot of work with little outcome, but he was starting to gain enough stamina to move for longer distances after living in the wheelchair for weeks. It was a small accomplishment, but he was proud to move on his own in the chair, even though he was totally missing his legs.

As he made it up, not even a third of their long driveway, he took a break. Early on, he decided that he wouldn't go all the way out to the main road, that would have been too far to travel since their driveway was nearly half a mile long. He just needed a little distance. He had been enclosed in buildings for six weeks straight, and he could barely stand it anymore. The house was cozy and warm, it was a great home with a great family, but sometimes he needed fresh air. Even if it was freezing air.

He sat there catching his breath, once again enjoying the freedom of the outdoors for minutes on end. It wasn't too long before snow began to fall lightly from the sky. He watched how the snowflakes danced in the wind before hitting the ground and the blue blanket covering his legs.

As the snow started to get a little heavier, he decided it was better to stay closer to the house so he didn't get snowed in while in the middle of his driveway. He wasn't ready to go back in the house, however, he felt like he had just gotten outside, so he headed to the barn instead. As he pushed himself over the new layer of snow starting to accumulate, he glanced up at the kitchen window seeing Laura washing dishes through it. Clint simply waved with his good arm to let her know he was fine before continuing his trek to the barn.

He opened the door, navigating his wheelchair through the frame before closing it again to keep the fierce wind out of what little warmth the barn gathered. Inside, the barn air smelled of old wood as Clint knew it was an aged building. Parts of it would have to be rebuilt in a few years time, it was his next project.

A small whistle echoed through the room as the wind blew through some rotted slabs of siding. Despite the few siding holes, it was significantly warmer than being outside so he took advantage of the chance to warm up his frozen fingers.

Along with the aging nature of the building, it wasn't the neatest barn ever as various objects littered the walls in piles. Old targets, arrows, bicycles, hay bales, and his Tony refurbished tractor were among the various odds and ends they didn't have room to store anywhere else. He carted over to the tractor, patting the side of it when he got there.

"Tony really fixed you up, huh girl?" He mumbled to himself as his gloved hand rested on the side of the cold metal. He loved the effort that Tony and the kids went through to make his old tractor as good as new, but Clint had to admit he would miss working on the tractor's failings himself. He never admitted he enjoyed the time alone to solve the tractor's problems when he couldn't always solve his own.

Looking up at the whistling ceiling, it was hard to get over how weird the perspective of the barn looked from the height of his chair. It didn't take him long to adjust to the difference in his house, but since the ceilings were so high here, the room seemed so much larger than it actually was. The barn would take some getting used to.

Patting the tractor one last time, Clint spotted the old arrows in a box near the wall and pumped over to them. Picking one of the blunted arrows up, he smiled. It was one of the arrows he made out of wood himself, before he got into Shield and had the resources to make better ones. This box contained many of his old arrows that weren't of good use anymore, but sometimes he enjoyed sprucing them up and using them for recreational archery in the forest. Maybe he could fix some up for Cooper whenever Clint decided it was time to teach the begging kid archery.

Figuring out how he could fix the bent arrow, he couldn't help but miss using his bow. Clint couldn't wait until he was healed enough to start practicing again. It had been too long already but hopefully within the next few weeks he'd be free from his arm cast, if he was lucky.

Knocked out of his thoughts, Clint heard a noise. It wasn't the whistling wind, so he spun around in his chair as quickly as he could, arrow tightly in his grip as if the blunt object would be a useful weapon. He scanned the area, not seeing anything to cause the sound. After a minute of being silently guarded, he decided to move around the barn to better scan what the noise could have been or if it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

He wasn't the most stealthy person with the wheelchair, but he did his best, not knowing what to expect from the tapping he had heard. It could have just been a bird in the rafters or the old boards creaking, but he wanted to be sure.

Keeping his eyes up and all around, he looked behind the tractor. Finding nothing, he then moved onto looking behind the hay. That's when he saw them. It wasn't a bird, just the family of deer.

Clint let out a breath as the deer just stared at him, wide eyed. They were clearly defensive by the way the parents protected their child. They likely had a hard time recognizing Clint as the man in their forest due to the metal contraption he sat in and his heavy winter clothes.

Placing the arrow down in his lap, Clint backed up slowly and steadily as to not scare them further. "You guys are escaping the cold and snow, huh? I'm not complaining at the spot you found…" He mumbled as he observed for a moment, taking them in properly for the first time since his mission started eight weeks ago.

The baby fawn had grown significantly since then, but he was still able to tell it was the child of the family. Ash had grown to be half the size of his father, gaining a darker coat to match. Bucky and Ivy had been cuddling each other before Clint accidentally interrupted them. They were even partly covered in the loose hay stack behind them, keeping them a little warmer from the cold that seeped through the thin barn walls. They continued to stare at Clint, ears still perked up and on guard to make sure he wasn't going to hurt them.

"I'm not going to hurt you guys, it's just me." He quietly said as he backed off a bit more, moving his chair so he could scan the area around the hay stack concealing them. "Now how did you guys get in here anyway?" He said as it took him a minute before finding it: a rather large hole in the barn corner. It was nearly invisible since it was hidden on the other side of the haystack the deer sat behind.

"I should probably fix that..." He said and glanced back at the family with a smile while rolling away. He didn't want to crowd them too much.

Clint went over to the hole in the wall, thinking about how he could fix it. Some of the boards had rotted through, he would have to replace them when he was healed. There were extra planks inside the barn leftover from other house projects, he could make a temporary wall by leaning them against the side to cover the hole, but Clint decided against that when he thought back to the deer. He didn't want to accidentally trap them in here, he'd have to fix it properly in the spring.

Rubbing his gloved hands together best he could, he realized it was getting quite cold in the barn. It had probably been a good hour or two since he'd left the house, so it was best to head back. He'd gotten his fill of space to last him.

Taking one last look at the deer family snuggling together for warmth, Clint was on his way out of the barn. As he passed by the arrow box, he put his blunt one back and maneuvered through the door. When he got outside, however, there was a significant amount of snowfall that had collected in the past hour he'd been thinking in the barn. Whenever he was outside, he would always lose track of time.

"Crap," He cursed to himself as it was now much harder to pump the lever on his wheelchair and move through the deepening snow. He could have easily called Laura out to help, but Clint decided to push through the snow as much as he could anyway.

It took him much longer to get to the ramp than he would have liked, his fingers stiff by the time he got there, but he was glad he was eventually able to make it by himself.

The warmth of the house was an instant reward as Laura walked out of the kitchen when she heard the door open. She halted Clint before he could get passed the welcome mat. "Hey, hold on a minute," She said as she grabbed a towel from the closet and started wiping down the damp wheels of the chair. "I don't need the kids slipping on puddles and breaking their own legs."

Clint laughed as he took off his gloves and flexed his fingers hoping to get more feeling back. After he could feel enough, he carefully slipped off his coat so he didn't strain his almost healed ribs.

When Laura was done with her task, wet towel in hand, she instinctively took the coat from Clint so she could hang it to dry on the hook he couldn't quite reach.

"Thanks honey," Clint said as she took off his hat before giving him a kiss on the head while he worked on getting the damp blanket out from under his legs.

She smiled and ruffled his hair after the kiss, "Just get better soon so you can hang all the clothes to dry yourself." She joked before walking away to put everything in the bathroom to do so.

Meanwhile, Clint heard the familiar ruckus of the kids in the kitchen and made his way over to the table where Cooper and Lila were stationed. They joked with each other as Lila had a mess of art supplies scattered about while Cooper was playing a handheld video game.

As Clint passed by Cooper from his wheelchair, he ruffled his son's hair like Laura did to him. Slightly annoyed, he complained, "Dad! You're going to throw me off! I need to beat this level…" He drifted his focus back onto his game.

"I know," Clint smirked as he made his way to the fridge to find a snack to munch on. He looked through it for a second before remembering, "Hey, guess what I just saw."

Lila was the only one who responded since Cooper was so focused on his level. "What?"

"I found the deer," He stated. "They're hiding out in the barn this winter."

"Really?" Lila asked excitedly while Laura walked back in to finish making dinner, closing the fridge door Clint was looking through in the process.

"Really," Clint nodded as he glared a bit at Laura from interrupting his food hunt.

"Dinner will be ready soon. No snacks," She simply responded as Clint rolled his eyes and went back to replying to Lila.

"Ash has grown a lot in these last few weeks. He's half the size of Bucky now."

Lila bounced in her seat. "Awesome! Can I go out and see them, dad?"

Clint looked out the kitchen window at the brewing storm. "Sorry hun, the storm is getting pretty bad but if it dies down tomorrow we can take a quick look. We don't want to crowd them too much though, they're in an enclosed space and might not like that too much."

Lila continued her drawing while still invested in the conversation. "So they're like you. They sometimes need space."

Clint chuckled at Lila gaining increased awareness of his disappearing habits whenever he was cooped up for too long. Clint rolled up to sit besides his daughter. "Yeah, we are pretty alike. We both need some space, but we still always love our family."

Smiling at each other, Clint did his best to pull Lila into a side hug as he kissed her forehead. Admiring her artwork and his family, he once again stole a glance out the window.

There may be a storm outside, and even one inside him sometimes, but at least when he was with his family everything was calm.

Here, there was peace. That was rare to find.

* * *

 **I'm always still open for one-shot ideas, even if I'm in the middle of a mini story, sometimes I can still add chapters into the mini story or into later chapters. I always love getting new ideas to spur my imagination:)**


	37. The Truth Behind Bucky (Recovery Pt4)

"Hey Cap, what was it like being frozen in ice for seventy years?"

"Cooper," Clint scolded his son for the insensitive question.

Steve laughed. "It's okay Clint, that's a perfectly valid question," He replied with a smile. Kids always seemed to ask him questions along those lines so he must have been an expert at answering them by now. "Honestly I can't blame you for asking, I'd be curious too."

"Then what was it like?" He asked with renewed excitement, glad he didn't accidentally offend the Avenger.

Steve shrugged. "It's actually a very anticlimactic story because I don't remember any of it. I basically woke up from a long nap and the world was completely different."

"Was it hard to adjust in the future?" Lila joined Cooper's questionnaire as the four of them continued their walk to the barn.

"I still am adjusting," He answered truthfully, "It's a slow process and there's a lot to catch up on. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it, but I do love it here in its own ways. The future has its perks."

"Like your new, _amazing_ friends. Right?" Clint smirked as he rolled himself through the barn door Steve held open.

"I wouldn't go that far," He joked back, even if in reality he _was_ super glad he met his avenging friends. They've been patient in helping him adjust while having fun at the same time. They all had some good laughs over his minimal knowledge of pop culture and failed usage of technology.

As they all entered the barn, closing the door to keep the cold out, they decided to postpone their conversation as they neared the haystack Clint said the deer were huddled behind.

The snow storm which caused the creatures to retreat here had lasted a few days and finally ended last night. Thanks to the help of Cap and the kids, a path was cleared to the barn so they could all see the deer again. It was a good bonding activity between the family and even the visiting Avenger.

Though Steve had only been in town for the day and would be gone by sundown, he decided to swing by and check on Clint after Natasha couldn't due to a last minute mission. She never would admit it, but Steve noticed she was far more anxious since Clint started recovering. She knew his own anxieties hit him hard from feeling helpless while injured, so she liked to be there for him as much as possible.

And that's why Steve joined the family's deer venture because he knew that even a brief check in was enough to help Natasha sleep at night.

Since he was joining their trip, the family decided to put Steve in charge of holding a bowl full of various seeds and berries. Clint said they normally didn't need to give food to the deer, but since this storm hit, the snow piled up nearly as high as the deer themselves. Food was already scarce for them midwinter and he figured they wouldn't have much luck scavenging in this snow, so they decided it wouldn't hurt to give them a helping hand instead of letting them wade through the dangerous terrain.

"Now we need to stay quiet and stay low. Only one or two should take a look at a time, and be sure to put the bowl where they can see it," Clint mentioned as he rolled forwards and stopped a comfortable distance away from the hay.

Since Steve did the work of carrying out the food, Cooper let him and his sister see the deer first. They both crouched down and Steve let Lila push the bowl forward into the open. Slowly peeking around the hay, they saw the family was mostly buried in hay from the extra cold seeping through bits of the barn. They were all sleeping soundly, heads leaning against each other's for comfort and warmth. Even Bucky was fast asleep for once instead of keeping watch.

Steve had never seen the deer up close so he thoroughly enjoyed the sight and was already planning his doodles for his later flight back to the base.

But after a minute, Steve moved aside so Cooper could grab his own look at the deer. Standing right besides Clint, he saw Cooper drop to his knees while Lila repositioned herself on her stomach to get a better view from around her taller brother.

"Is it nice to see an old friend again?" Clint asked with a smirk as he referred to the buck they appropriately named.

Steve gave a faint chuckle. "Yeah, it is pretty nice."

Since they were already keeping low voices to let the deer sleep, Clint spoke even softer so the kids wouldn't hear him. "How is the actual search for Barnes going?"

Steve sighed. "I don't know, whenever I seem to be getting close he's always one step ahead of me. He's already keeping a low profile, but on top of that he's avoiding me and I don't know why."

"Do you think he remembers?" Clint theorized.

"Then why would he be avoiding me?" Steve asked as he ran a hand through his hair. Bucky and Steve were best friends during the war and if he remembered everything, he wouldn't avoid him."I think he's probably more confused if anything. With what Hydra engraved in his brain, if memories are coming back…"

Ever since Shield fell, Steve spent most of his free time trying to find Bucky. That's the main reason why he didn't visit the Barton's often. Ever since his old friend pulled him out of the river, saving him from drowning despite beating him up seconds before, Steve knew for a fact that Bucky was confused as hell. Steve just didn't know how confused he actually was and why exactly he was avoiding him. After all, he could think Steve was going to arrest him for what he had done under Hydra's command. He wouldn't know until he caught up to the runaway.

Though the kids hadn't heard the adult's conversation being caught up in their own observations of the deer, Lila couldn't help but frown as she saw the deer named after the hero's friend. Steve had lost nearly all of his friends by accidentally coming into the future, and she could hardly imagine the feeling of losing her family and school friends in that way.

"Do you have any friends from past that are still alive?" Lila quietly asked Steve as she picked at a stray piece of hay on the barn floor, fiddling it between her fingers. "Any at all?"

Initially, Steve was shocked by the question and how crestfallen the girl sounded. After a moment of composure, he couldn't prevent a small smile from creeping onto his face. "Not all of them are gone."

Pausing as he remembered Peggy, for a long moment he thought about how he often had mixed feelings about visiting her. She had Alzheimer's disease, and with the progression of her short term memory loss from it, she often forgot he was alive mid-conversation and would have to explain it to her every few minutes. Seeing her reaction over and over again... It broke his heart every time. However, she was always glad to see him and despite the emotional toll it took on both of them, he was glad to see her too. She always had something profound to say or something to remind him of the good old days.

Putting his train of thought back on track, Steve finished, "One person, her name is Peggy, she's still here. I see her whenever I can, and I'm grateful for that."

That made Lila smile. She was glad he was still friends with someone even after all these years.

"What about your old team, the Howling Commandos? Are any of them still alive?" Cooper became invested while observing the deer, hoping their quiet talking didn't disturb them.

"Well none of them…" He started before he and Clint shared a glance. They silently read each other's faces and Clint gave a slight nod as he remembered a topic the two discussed a few weeks ago.

It was bound to have come up eventually and Clint was right, now was the proper time to discuss it.

"Actually," Steve took in a deep breath, still unsure of how to break the news to the kids. "Not too long ago I discovered one of them is still alive."

"Which one of the Commandos is it?" Cooper continued, very intrigued.

Steve hesitated but eventually spilled the rest of the beans now that the can was opened. "Bucky."

"What?!" The kids shouted in unison as they turned to face the adults in surprise.

"Shhhh," Clint said knowing the deer were still trying to sleep. Lila quickly looked back at the deer, now seeing that they had startled Bucky awake and he was now on high alert staring at the kids.

"Ops, sorry," Lila whispered even though she was still in shock from the revelation.

"Come on," Clint directed as he started to turn his wheelchair around. "Let's move back into the house and let them continue resting."

The kids didn't argue as they quickly scrambled to their feet and raced across the barn, ready to ask Steve questions the second they all stepped foot outdoors.

"Before asking your millions of questions, you know the drill," Clint instructed as he closed the door to the barn. "There are some things Steve can't answer and be respectful of boundaries."

The children frantically nodded and when they got the silent approval to continue, Cooper was the first to put together a rushed sentence.

"I thought you said he fell off a train!"

Steve instantly laughed at the wording. "Well, he did. There's no doubt about that."

"Then how…?" Lila couldn't help but mutter what her brother was also thinking.

"I'm going to tell you a secret, are you sure you two can keep it for me?" He smiled and bent down so he was on their level.

Furiously nodding their heads, Steve continued with his hand brought close to his face like he was a kid spilling the secret. "I wasn't the only miracle who survived going forwards in time. He too, is seventy years in the future."

The kids' jaws dropped lower than the patriot thought possible. They didn't even have the words to express their current feelings about this discovery.

As Steve let them bask in their shock, he got up and continued to the house as he shared a smirk with Clint.

The kids were in for a wild story...

* * *

Later that day, as the kids talked about how cool Bucky's metal arm was in a distant room, Clint walked his friend to the door since he needed to head back to the base.

"Are you sure it's okay you told them the truth?" Clint asked as Steve picked up his coat.

He nodded. "With Buck's track record, I doubt he'll stay hidden forever. I'd prefer to let them know personally as opposed to them finding out over the news. They're good kids."

Understanding and smiling at the comment about his kids, Clint teased, "It's about time anyways. With all the questions they ask about Bucky in general, you're too righteous of a man to keep up the secrets forever."

Steve laughed. "You know _what_ , Barton," He accused, but didn't need to continue because they both knew he was bound to have slipped eventually.

After a moment of silence, Clint said, "Thanks for stopping by. It was good to see you again today."

Steve replied with a firm hand on his friend's shoulder. "Same to you, Clint. I'll send the team your wishes."

As Steve opened the door, Clint couldn't refrain from mentioning one last thing. "And when Natasha gets back, tell her I'm fine. Really."

Sharing a smile, Steve was off to the jet parked nearby. While the door closed behind him, he let out a breath, glad he finally got the truth off his chest. He hated lying, especially to kids, and it was tough to keep up the secret of Bucky around them when they were so curious about their friendship. He didn't want to continue lying to them now that he was okay with discussing the confusing matter.

Plus, he was sure he was getting close to tracking down Bucky and if he knew one thing about his friend, he wouldn't go down without a fight. He was sure hydra hadn't changed that part of him.

But if there was a fight, the media was bound to take notice of Captain America and jump to conclusions. He didn't want Lila and Cooper to think his closest friend was an enemy when in reality, Steve was positive he wasn't. He wanted them to make their own conclusions about Bucky, not base it completely off what the media might say.

A fight always seemed to find Steve whether he liked it or not. Even after seventy years, some things never changed.

He just hoped he could save his friend this time, like Bucky had done for him countless times in the past.

* * *

 **This chapter was requested yet again by Katie MacAlpine who never fails to spur ideas out of my brain even by the simple request of Steve leaving extra food out for the deer:) Thanks again!**

 **Updating has been slow, but it will be continuing as often as possible. I'm restoring my love of art and painting right now and that means I have to balance my time between the activities I love, but I will be doing my best to find a pattern that works for me. I'll still be updating because I truly am excited to share my spin on Clint and his family's point of views of the upcoming civil war!:D**


	38. Learning to Walk (Recovery Pt5)

"Now Clint, you know what Marta said. No getting out of that wheelchair alone. You're getting my help whether you like it or not," Laura pestered her husband when she was forced to ditch Nathaniel on the floor to help the man who nearly toppled over.

Clint grunted as he let his weight rest against the wall, trying his best to avoid putting too much on his still casted arm. His leg cast may be off, but after seven weeks of not using his legs, it was almost as if he was out of practice. In attempting the smallest task of standing up, his muscles were still weak from disuse and nearly made him fall to the ground. "I'm fine, Laura." Clint insisted through clenched teeth as she helped steady him. "You know how Marta always overestimates the recovery time."

"Yes, but when your legs are involved, we don't want to take chances and have you relapse," She nagged, knowing how anxious he was to get better. Walking was an everyday function most people took for granted, but not Clint. Over his life he realized not to take a lot for granted because everyday tasks gave him control over his own body. He sometimes found comfort in the repetition.

"I'll be fine, Laura. Marta wanted me to practice walking around with my stretches and strengthening exercises today." Clint tried to convince her he could do it on his own by bringing up his physical therapist's instructions.

"But she also told me to keep an eye on you so you don't do it alone and fall over. Like you _almost did_ ," She said by bringing up the event that happened only seconds ago to prove her point.

Clint simply responded in a sigh as he silently accepted her help. Now that he wasn't alone, he took a few stronger steps, with a little help from the wall as well.

Even if he hated getting help, today he was willing to accept it because his body needed this. The relief was clearly visible on his face from the fact he wasn't sitting anymore. He couldn't wait until he could ditch the chair completely, but it would still take another week and more therapy sessions before he could finally say goodbye.

He hadn't been able to walk much with his freedom these past few days because he had been under constant supervision from Marta at the facility. She kept him out of trouble but now that he was finally home, he could finally try walking on his own again.

It hadn't been a horrible leg injury where he had to completely relearn how to walk, it had only been a few weeks and his body easily remembered the motions, but it was still incredibly hard to feel normal on his feet again. He had lost a lot of muscle mass on his bad leg, so it was bound to take time to work his strength back up. It may have only been a small fracture, but he knew he would break it again if he wasn't careful. He wanted to avoid that while breaking Marta's rules as often as possible. He was never one to follow rules.

After his proud few steps, Clint turned to his wife walking alongside him. With a smile he said, "See? I'm okay. Right, Nate?" He asked as he looked behind Laura to see their nearly one year old playing on the blanket nearby, a toy in his mouth as he laughed at his father's acknowledgement. "Nate agrees."

Laura playfully rolled her eyes at her husband's smirk. "You know he'll agree to anything if he gets attention, his vote doesn't count until he can actually speak coherent sentences. Now be careful."

"Since when am I not?" Clint asked with fake innocence. He always tried to be careful, but there was no doubt that he was the least graceful person in their entire family including the Avengers. That's how he got into this mess, after all.

"Here," Laura said as she grabbed a steady hold on Clint's good arm. "Start out slow at least. Let's do your sitting stretches since you insist on staying out of that chair."

"Yes, ma'am," Clint smiled as she helped lower him to the floor slowly, but carefully.

Laura went back to tending to Nathaniel as Clint did his exercises alone, but she kept close watch from her own spot on the floor. As he progressed in his exercises, Laura switched back to helping Clint since Nate was invested in building a tower out of blocks.

Or trying to build one. After each minute, his tower fell down, but it didn't diminish his spirit of trying to stack them all again and again.

Clint continued his stretches for a long time until Laura finally allowed him to properly practice walking around the house. He needed the support of the wall and Laura at first, but after a few minutes he was able to move by himself.

By that time, Nate's attention span had moved on to observing his mother helping his father take steps. Since the parents' attention spans were both on Clint, the next time they looked back to check on Nate, they heard laughter. They noticed that the child pulled himself up to the coffee table and was now putting his weight against it as he stood on both legs.

He even stopped putting most of his weight against the table as Laura walked back over to him, Clint trailing slowly behind, managing to remain steady without support.

Nathaniel standing on his own was nothing new. Over the past few months he'd been learning how to, but either way it always put a smile on their faces to see him stand alone. He was growing up so fast and was showing just as much stubbornness and determination to be independent as Clint had.

However this time, something _was_ new. Nate took a step forward, completely on his own. The small boy wobbled furiously at the attempted movement, but he didn't fall.

The shock of Nate taking a step of his own was enough to cause both parents to stop in their tracks and stare at the child as he tried to steady himself.

And then he took another step. And another after that.

Both Clint and Laura were only a few steps away from the kid who insisted on trudging forwards, despite almost falling multiple times.

As he nearly reached Laura after taking five steps, the boy finally toppled over from his weak legs. She quickly lightened his fall, but as Nate looked back up at his mother, he smiled with his tiny teeth before trying to pick himself back up.

She couldn't help but smile at his persistence and helped him only slightly before he continued to take more steps forwards, this time passing Laura and heading to where Clint leaned against the frame of the recliner.

He managed to take his last few steps just in time to grab a hold of Clint's right leg to prevent himself from falling over.

Clint wobbled slightly at the fact that he grabbed hold of his weaker leg, but he felt more grounded by the weight of the child around it. Staring down in disbelief, Nathaniel looked up at his father and laughed proudly at his accomplishment.

"Did you just…?" Clint asked the child as if he'd get a worded response and not just babbles through his laughter.

Laura couldn't help but smile at how Nate took his first steps alone. Over the past few weeks she'd helped him learn to walk with assistance, but he never took this leap on his own. It was almost like he was waiting for the right time to give it a shot, and he finally chose today.

"It looks like two people are learning how to walk today," She said as she saw Nate slide down his leg to sit on his foot.

Clint's open mouth closed into the largest grin he'd had in months. Bending down to attempt and pick up the kid latched onto his ankle, Nate seemed to sense his idea and instead leaned his whole body into his leg, wrapping his arms tighter around him.

Hands on his hips, Clint looked down at the devious kid before him. "You're just a little leech, aren't you."

Instead of picking him up with his hands, Clint instead tried to pick up his leg to take a step with the boy still attached.

"Clint," Laura scolded as she didn't think it was a good idea to try having his bad leg lift a twenty pound baby.

"It's okay, Laura. Marta already started me on her weight lifting exercises. Just one step," He said as he barely managed to lift his leg off the ground. It may have been a small step to Laura, but it was one large leap for Clint because instead of feeling a strain on his muscles, he felt more grounded. Stronger. Confident, that he could heal and get back on his feet soon with his family at his side.

He felt proud he could take that step with his son, even if it was tiny, and Nate seemed to know that because after that step, he let go of Clint's leg. Putting his hands in the air with a laugh, the baby now expecting to be picked up.

Laura also read the child's actions. She picked him up for her husband so he didn't have to strain his still healing arm.

Holding Nate in his good arm, it was significantly easier to hold the weight since he had kept exercising his good arm throughout his recovery, among whatever else he could. That way he didn't have to rebuild from scratch.

Clint had almost forgotten how it felt to hold his son, it had been months since he was able to hold him properly after his injuries. It almost brought tears to his eyes as Nathaniel's warmth leaned into him through a hug.

Kissing the top of his head, Clint was glad he finally had a family that helped him heal. Even in the smallest of ways, they brought a smile to his face.

* * *

 **I'm glad you guys are enjoying my little stories! I always love reading the comments you all give and I'm glad a couple of you can relate what I write to your own experiences. I hope I'm putting a smile on your faces the way you guys do for me!:)**


	39. Casting Memories (Recovery Pt6)

It had been a long four days at the training facility. Only a week after Clint's leg cast came off, it was time for the finale. With one last cut, his arm had been freed, meaning he could finally do what he had been aching to ever since he woke up in the hospital.

Archery.

But the past few weeks felt like nothing compared to the pain of waiting these next four days. It's not that he couldn't use his bow again, it's because he was forced not to. Marta was wise, she kept him at the facility extra to keep an eye on him, not just help with his physical therapy.

Many times Clint had tried to sneak into the archery range at Shield, and many times he failed. Fury put the whole range on twenty-four hour lockdown, specifically to keep him out. Clint had tried to get passed the guards but Marta always seemed to be at the right place at the right time, dragging him back before he could even start his plan. He even tried the air vents with no dice, they managed to bolt them tight. The arsenal was in the same state, preventing him from stealing a bow and quiver to take elsewhere.

Marta knew him so well, and so did Fury. With both wanting him to be healed properly, Fury especially to get his agent out in the field as soon as possible, their tag team was almost impenetrable. Clint eventually had to give up his efforts and end up waiting the anxious four days before being cleared. After his progress, now they figured that if they released him and he tried another stupid stunt, it wouldn't kill him.

As long as he didn't jump out of any windows, Clint finally had a clean bill of health. He didn't even need to use the wheelchair anymore, all he needed was to take it slow and build back up the strength he lost.

It felt like a miracle. It had been over eight weeks since he had gotten injured and he was finally free from most of his restraints. Soon he could pick up his kids on his own, soon he could shoot his arrows, soon he could hike in the woods when he needed space, soon he could go back on missions with his friends. Soon... He could embrace his wife fully.

It had been a _long_ eight weeks.

Walking through the front door alongside his best friend, _actually walking_ on his own two feet, the kids instantly pounced on Clint as if they hadn't seen him in months. Squatting to hug Lila and Cooper properly for the first time in ages, nobody needed to say anything because the kids were just as relieved as Clint was to be healthy. They were glad that their father was okay and came back from yet another rough mission safe.

After a long minute, Natasha cleared her throat. "What am I? Chop Liver?"

"Of course not!" Lila laughed as she and Cooper switched to hug her. "You know we love you too, Auntie Nat."

"Plus, you do a better job of protecting dad than he does." Cooper smirked at Clint over Natasha's shoulder.

She gave her own to match. "Don't even try denying that Clint, we all know this knucklehead is right," She smiled before pulling away from the kids and giving them both a secret handshake they made up the last time she visited.

Clint chuckled as he watched the rhythmic movements of the trio trying to remember how it went. After thirty seconds of their struggle to remember, Natasha proudly high fived both kids when they did it correctly. "Oh yeah, we still got it!"

Clint couldn't help but notice how far Natasha had come. Not in the handshake, but in the fact that the first few times she met the kids she barely even looked or spoke to them. Now, they were as close as friends can be making up secret handshakes and making inside jokes. There was no doubt in his mind that Natasha's love of kids had stemmed from his own.

"Man, you're just the official 'cool aunt,' aren't you?" He smiled at the sight of the three.

Facing Clint with the same devious smile she always had, she said, "I always was."

Rolling his eyes, Natasha continued, "Now how's the traitor doing? I heard something big happened last week but this boy wouldn't tell me what," She pointed to Clint.

"Yeah!" Lila jumped up in the air with excitement. "Nate learned how to walk!"

"He walked all on his own too, without any help," Cooper smiled, glad that his little brother was growing up. Soon he could have an actual brother to hang out with him, and though he loved playing with Lila, he always wanted to have a brother.

"Really? _Clint_ , why didn't you tell me!" Natasha complained and punched her friend lightly in the healed arm for keeping that huge development a secret.

He put his hands up in defense. "Hey, blame those rascals. They wanted to tell you," He replied while nodding towards the giddy kids.

Lila nodded before taking Natasha's hand, directing her to the nursery. "Come on! Mom is with Nathaniel right now, maybe we can convince him to walk for you. He's been practicing!"

"Lead the way," Natasha said as she was dragged off by the two kids, leaving Clint alone to pick up the colorful arm cast he carelessly tossed on the floor to hug them earlier.

Instead of following the crowd, he decided to put his casts officially away and put an end to the past few months. Opening his bedroom's walk in closet, he found the leg cast he wore only a week and a half ago lying next to a cardboard box under the bottom shelf.

He placed the arm on the floor as he slid the large box out, noticing the thin layer of dust that started to collect on it. A grin spread across his face as he opened it for the first time in over a year, finding a collection of multiple, colorful casts.

The casts ranged from every bone you could break. He had a few arms, legs, wrists, and more. Clint had it all, and with every cast in this box, he could remember exactly what happened the day he injured himself.

While the pain of the injury may not have been a pleasant memory, the memories made with the casts on were always special.

He laughed out loud when he noticed one of the casts, it was one of a kind in this box. It was a foot cast. With most of these injuries he was out on missions, but not this one. This one was from Tony.

Clint just happened to be walking through his lab in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of his 'helpful' robots decided it was a good time to malfunction when Clint was nearby. Dum-E ended up dropping a heavy metal engine on his foot while Tony was fixing one of his cars. Clint still remembered the coffee he spit all over Tony in surprise when he suddenly felt the pain shoot up his leg.

Tony's face was priceless with panic as coffee was sprayed everywhere, and that alone was enough to make it such a good memory.

He was frantic trying to get Clint help, apologizing fiercely within the swears in each sentence as he tried to get the engine off his foot. Tony felt horrible about the whole event and even though it was a minor injury, he was nearly on the verge of a panic attack from blaming himself so harshly. It was a rare weak moment Clint saw his friend in, but swallowing back the pain, he did his best to calm the genius down.

It were moments like that when Clint really started to gain a connection to each member of the newly made Avengers team. They all witnessed each other's weaknesses at one point or another, but it always brought them closer together as they helped each other through them.

Clint read the message Tony wrote on the cast. It was a mix of actually apologetic and his famous humor. "Sorry I broke your foot, but you deserved it. No more messing with the air vents."

Smiling, he put that cast down and looked at another in the assorted box. An ankle cast, and it was one of the oldest he kept.

He was on a mission with Natasha, who had recently become his partner since Fury only trusted him with the new recruit and former Russian spy. They didn't know each other too well back then, both young and extra stubborn in keeping their lives private while preferring to work in silence. They were up against a terrorist organization and when the duo infiltrated their base, Clint happened to run into the wrong person at the wrong time. His luck was impeccable in all of these boxed memories.

This buff member managed to get Clint down in a hand to hand combat situation, forcefully stepping on his ankle causing multiple fractures and broken bones. He was surprised his foot was still on his leg, it was _bad_. He was lucky it could be fixed with the added metal supports now permanently in his body.

That was one of the first missions that helped bring Natasha and Clint into a closer partnership. They both had to let go of their stubbornness to help hobble Clint around and complete the mission. It was one of the first missions where they finally started feeling comfortable with each other and knew they could count on one another.

This cast had good memories of a new beginning, even if Natasha didn't write a message on it. They didn't know each other well enough to feel the need to. Instead, Laura doodled on it. It was back when they were still dating, so she took it upon herself to spice up the boring cast. It had purple and pink designs in a mesmerizing pattern throughout the entirety of it, and Clint remembered her working on it for hours as they laughed on the sofa during one of their dates.

Glancing away from that memory with a smile, he couldn't prevent another from catching his eye: A leg matching the one he just got out of.

He may not have jumped out of an eight story building, but how he got this similar injury was just as stupid. He fell off a rooftop, specifically the rooftop of his own home.

A major storm had blown in that week, oceans of rain water and high winds from tornado watches damaging the roof. A few leaks had started to accumulate from the amount of water and as soon as the weather was calm, Clint took it upon himself to fix it before it worsened.

However, being on the top of a slanted, slippery roof juggling tools and his own weight was a recipe for disaster. He slipped and ended up falling off the roof and landing very poorly on his leg. It was a whole trip in itself to drive him to the hospital as the weather started to act up again, and the family was stranded there for a few days as the hazardous weather forced them to stay sheltered instead of driving back in the dangerous conditions.

But that gave them plenty of time to bond, drawing sunny skies with fluffy clouds all over his cast to lighten the thick air outside. He didn't even mind the weather, he just enjoyed spending the quality time telling work stories with his family and joking about his tumble.

Clint continued to look at all the casts in the box, remembering the days he had them on and rereading all the messages his friends and family wrote over the years.

After looking at each memory, he finally put all the scattered, colorful casts back into the box they came. He grabbed his new arm and leg casts, grinning one last time as he admired the forest scene that Lila depicted, the odds and ends designs Cooper made, and the various messages from the ones he loved.

He held them for one last minute before putting the new additions into the box and closing it. He loved looking at them, but he was relieved to finally put them into this collection. Eight weeks of limited mobility… He was _so_ over it.

He tucked the box away, hoping he wouldn't have to look at it for another few years. However, knowing his luck, it wouldn't take him long before he revisited this trip down memory lane.

Though in all honesty, as long as he ended up being alive and well enough, he didn't mind making these new memories.


	40. Pasts, Presents, and Futures

**Rated T: Mild swearing, mentions of abuse and trauma.**

* * *

"I thought you were supposed to lay off the archery?" Wanda asked as she walked up to the archer practicing behind the barn.

Clint replied with a smirk as he let another arrow fly from his grip and hit the center of the target, right next to three other arrows. "They told me to take it slow, that's why I'm only a hundred feet away. Besides, this is the first time I've shot an arrow in months. I couldn't resist."

"Only a hundred feet…" Wanda lightly mocked as she tightened the coat around her. The cold still managed to seep through to her bones even if it was nearing the end of winter, only the occasional white patch in the dead yellow grass were the remains of the storm they had weeks ago. It was enough indication that winter was still sticking around.

"So what brings you out?" Clint asked as he took another arrow from the quiver on his back.

"Right," Wanda muttered as she tried to remember why she came out in the first place. "Laura wanted me to tell you that the washing machine broke again. You need to take a look at it when you're done out here."

"Again?" Clint raised an eyebrow as he took his shot. The arrow didn't even move a fraction off course from his last minute head shake, landing right next to the others as planned. "We should have gotten a new one years ago. That thing is always breaking."

"You didn't do that with your tractor," Wanda smirked. "You waited until Tony remade it."

Clint grinned as he let go of another arrow, remembering the recent memory and pleasant surprise. "What can I say, I'm attached."

Watching Clint's movements, Wanda was mesmerized by how he seemed to effortlessly grab, aim, and release each arrow with a lack of urgency. He took his time, yet was swift. It was so rhythmic that it happened in a pattern nothing could break, even if his concentration did.

After a minute of silent observation, a realization hit her in the face as she remembered a question she'd been wondering ever since she met the man. Now was the perfect time to ask it. "A bow is a rather unique weapon choice for your job, why did you choose it?"

"Well," He said and released another in the time it took to think of a response. "I've know how to use one of these babies ever since I was a kid. I've had significantly more practice with this as opposed to a gun. I just feel more comfortable with it."

"Ever since you were little?" Wanda mumbled under her breath in curiosity. Instead of keeping the new questions to herself, she spoke more clearly, "Did you learn how to use it from your parents or something?"

Clint let out a small laugh as he heard that, making the teen wonder what was so funny. "No, my parents died at an early age. They never would have been able to teach me this."

Wanda's face paled a little bit. "Oh, I'm sorry. I-I didn't know..."

Clint lowered his bow and faced her, giving a smile. "Don't worry, that was a _long_ time ago. I barely even knew them, and what I do remember… Let's just say it wasn't much of a loss…" He drifted as he, again, raised his bow fully and knocked another arrow to hopefully avoid going more in depth about the topic he rarely discussed.

Wanda sensed this and hesitated in moving the conversation further. She didn't want to intrude on his past, but she couldn't help but be intrigued by it since Pietro and her had been orphans themselves at the age of ten. She never would have imagined an _Avenger_ would have been in her same boat, especially one she got to know well over this past year. She couldn't resist learning more about his past, but she took a moment to phrase her next words carefully so she didn't trap him into talking about a subject he may not want to open up about. "So you were an orphan? I didn't know that."

"A lot of people don't know that," He said as he lined up his shot, once again, avoiding the details and focusing his concentration ahead.

"So you had to bounce around from home to home too?"

"Oh yeah, foster care was _great_ ," He said sarcastically, letting a light laugh escape as a sudden memory flashed through his mind. It was of him and his brother sneaking out of one of their foster homes to catch frogs in a nearby pond. They came close, but the frog they caught managed to slip away from his brother's grasp, making him flop face first into the water and cause them both to burst out laughing.

Escaping the good memory, he continued, "They could never keep us with a family for very long. Within a couple months of being in a new home, we'd be back in the foster care system."

" _We_?" Wanda asked, wondering why there was a sudden change in pronouns.

Clint frowned as he realized what he carelessly said after being briefly lost in time. He hesitated in his response, but his archery never hesitated with him. "Yeah, it was me and my brother. Barney."

Wanda instantly noticed Clint's softened eyes after he said that name. It sounded like he hadn't spoken that name in years, and she could tell he was avoiding going deeper into why as he lowered his bow and started walking towards the target to get his arrows.

"I'm sorry," Wanda stuttered as she trailed behind him. "I'm asking too many questions…"

"No," Clint flashed her a reassuring smile as they moved. He honestly couldn't be upset at her curiosity, he would have asked the same questions. "It's just that my brother and I had a... Falling out years back. Haven't talked to him since."

"It must have been a bad falling out," Wanda commented more than asked. She didn't care about knowing all the details because she didn't want to pry too much into his personal past. She just wanted to acknowledge she was listening and there wouldn't be an awkward silence.

Clint began taking the arrows out of his target, placing them back into his quiver. "Yeah, it was." His voice was deadpan as he thought about what happened at the circus those many years ago. How he found out his mentor, Swordsman, was stealing money when he thought he could trust him. How he found out his brother was helping him steal, and how Barney had become loyal to a man occasionally killing people during the excursions.

And when Swordsman turned around to literally stab Clint in the back after trying to stop him, Barney didn't do a damn thing to prevent the man from escaping justice. Barney had purposely let him go, and not because he was more worried about getting his bleeding brother help. His eyes told the truth, he was starting to follow in the man's footsteps.

That was the day Clint lost the trust of the one person he had always counted on. He would never forget that day.

Even after the incident that landed Clint a long hospital visit, Barney added extra pressure on their already breaking relationship by trying to convince Clint to join the military. After all that had happened in such a short period, they slowly grew further apart and their bond completely crumbled when Barney left in the middle of the night without telling him. Clint hadn't seen Barney since that day, and Clint honestly had no desire to find him. He already felt uneasy at the thought of the situation he desperately tried to push out of him mind, so he gladly avoided Barney like the plague.

"Pietro and I, they couldn't keep us in one place very long either." She said to break Clint's long, contemplative silence, changing the subject away from him and his brother after noticing his tense shoulders. She assumed he rarely talked about him since his last brotherly memories weren't good. "We were very 'uncooperative,' in the words of the foster parents. We always snuck out of the house to go to protests, we basically only talked to each other, and we didn't let anyone near us. We just couldn't get passed what happened."

Clint noted the similarities they shared in their past sibling relationships, "That sounds like Barney and I. We barely let anyone in, even if they only wanted to help us. We were always guarded after having a father that beat us in a drunken mess every other night."

The air fell dead quiet, only the sound of arrows being yanked from the target filing the air. Turning around to see what was up, Clint saw the shock clear on Wanda's face, and Clint himself didn't even realize what he said until a moment later when it clicked. It just slipped out so casually since he was talking about his past. He almost never discussed it but when he did, his original family always seemed to unintentionally make an appearance. It was another event he could never forget.

Wanda had never expected those words to come out of Clint's mouth, she had no idea that he had abusive parents. She would have thought talking about it would at least cause Clint a hint of hesitation, but the way he let it slip told her he had a really poor relationship with them. Almost like he distanced himself so much from it that he didn't even think of them as family, or even as acquaintances.

And Clint didn't. He had never thought of his father as a father, only calling him that because he was raised to to so and punished if he didn't. He did have a soft spot for his mother, since she was caught up in the family's mess more than anyone and tried her best to leave and protect them. But even then, they didn't have a strong relationship. They mainly only connected on their fear of his father.

Continuing his arrow collecting, there was a brief struggle as Clint tried to pull at one lodged in the target. The silence was deafening, so he was desperate to say anything to stop the awkwardness of Wanda's disbelief and pity. He hated pity.

Sighing, he also realized he wasn't going to get out of at least some explanation on his past and reluctantly continued the conversation. "It took both of us a long time before we started trusting anyone, since it had been broken ever since we could remember," He said, returning to the earlier discussion of not letting people in. "We had good reason not to trust any parental figures, even after ours died."

"Why's that?" Wanda asked without thinking that her words might have trapped Clint into explaining when he didn't really want to.

His rhythmic movements faltered a bit, enough for Wanda to notice it was a more touchy subject than the mention of his parents. "Most of the foster parents we got stuck with weren't much better than our parents," Clint vaguely remarked, understating it a bit. In most ways, it was worse. He had been a bit older and remembered more. One man in particular abusing them far worse than their father ever had, and they didn't even have their mother who tried to stop the pain.

But Wanda didn't need to know the gritty details, she was already in disbelief at the added information. She even mumbled, "What?" as her eyes showed the thing he loathed most: Pity.

Wanda almost could't wrap her head around this information. Dealing with abusive birth parents was horrible, but having multiple sets of abusive foster parents... She could hardly even believe it.

"How could a system dealing with finding children good homes put them in places like that? And so many times?" She asked, even if she knew he didn't necessarily know the answer. "Pietro and I have never had anything like that happen. I mean, there was the occasional story of abuse that spread throughout the orphanage, but that was rare."

"Then Sokovia must have had a more reliable system as opposed to the one back in my day." Clint shrugged, not sure of what else to say. "There was a surprising amount of people who got away with taking in foster kids and abusing them just for a few extra bucks in a government check."

Once he collected the last arrow, he turned to face Wanda again. She still had that dumbfounded look on her face mixed with incredible sadness from the discussion. Since he wanted the pity to end and didn't want to make her uncomfortable by continuing to talk about it, he asked, "Do you want to change topics?"

She wanted to reply with a nod knowing that he wanted to, but words came out of her mouth instead. "How can you talk about this so... Calmly? Isn't it... Doesn't it cause... Memories?"

Clint looked out at the farm, seeing the patchy snow coverage. "For most of my life, yeah it did. Occasionally, it still does. But I'm getting old Wanda, and with all the shit I've been through, I've found ways to deal with it in healthy ways. The memories aren't as bad as they have been and sometimes, the occasional reflecting does help."

Pausing to let Wanda process everything, he soon continued. "It's a heavy topic, especially when someone you know speaks from experience, but it happens more often than anyone wants to believe. It shouldn't, but it does. Even though my past was shitty and I would have much rather gone without it, I didn't have a choice in the matter. On the plus side, it did make me who I am today and get me here. I love where I'm at, and right now, I couldn't ask for anything more."

Clint didn't talk about his past with just anyone, or the feelings associated with it. He was surprised he had gotten this far until he realized the unconscious reason why he did. Putting a hand on Wanda's shoulder, he looked her in the eyes. "I'm telling you this because I know it's nearing the anniversary..." His voice lowered at the mention of the event that had taken a huge toll on her this past year, and it was hard to see her improvements almost going in reverse at the sight of the 'Anniversary Effect' from Pietro's death clearly taking its course. He knew the next few weeks would be rougher than usual as he had gone through the anniversary effect many times himself.

Taking in a deep breath to gather his thoughts again, he continued. "I'm telling you this because you are traveling just as shitty of a road as I had to, but you're just as tough of a kid. You will eventually get to a point in your life where you are unbelievably happy, and it won't happen overnight, but you'll get there. I just want you to go through a shorter shitty road than I had to."

Wanda looked away from Clint at the mention of the anniversary she had tried so hard to ignore. Clint was just too perceptive, he could tell she had been feeling constantly depressed again the past few weeks leading up to it, just like she felt the first few weeks after it happened. He was giving her another, 'you can do it,' speech but honestly, she could use another.

They stood in silence for a long time, eventually looking out at the farm as they tried to ignore the cold wind around them. A small smile creeped its way onto Wanda's face as she looked down at her feet, hugging the coat around her for warmth. Since Clint was still lightly holding her shoulder as they stood next to each other, she eventually leaned into his side. "I think my road is improving," She finally said. "These next few weeks will be the worst to deal with, but meeting the Avengers, you and your family... That's improvement enough for me."

Clint couldn't help but match her smile as he placed his arm around her shoulder in side-hug fashion. He was glad he could help improve her crappy road a little because no one deserved to go through what she currently was. He wouldn't wish a life like that on anyone.

"We're not too different from each other, are we?" Wanda almost laughed. "Losing our families, temporary homes, close siblings... I never realized."

Clint nodded. "Honestly, I see a lot of myself in you. Because of that, I want to make sure you don't have to go through all the shit I had to. You're an amazing kid, and you deserve more than what life has given you so far."

Wanda closed her eyes in her friend's embrace, only being reminded of the hugs she got from her father so many years ago.

She took in a shaky breath. With everything that has happened, it has been no doubt hard to push through, but she was doing it the best she could. She was glad she had friends like Clint to help her.

But there was just one question that wouldn't stop nagging her brain, even if their conversation was basically over at this point. Before it officially ended, she had to ask it. "Can I ask you something Clint?"

"Sure," He simply responded.

Gathering the right words, she asked, "Do you ever want to rekindle your relationship with your brother?"

Clint looked down at the bow he was using not long ago to shoot his target. It wasn't his usual work bow, it was a wooded one. Specifically, it was the one he had ever since he was a kid in the circus, the one that had seen him through the roughest battles in his life. Running his fingers across the letter "C" he carved into it years back, he found the "B" carved right next to it that his brother had made.

"Sometimes," He replied truthfully. "Even though we had a falling out, I don't hate him. I appreciate Barney more than anyone, he'd been right beside me through the roughest points in our lives, keeping us safe. He was an amazing brother."

"Then why don't you?" Wanda continued.

Clint let the bow rest at his side. "As we grew older, I kept seeing more and more of our father in him. We've all done some wrong at that point in our lives, but he was headed down a winding road of them. If I rekindle our relationship and he ended up not being trustworthy, I put all my friends and family at risk. He was important to have in my life as a kid, but now that I have amazing new people in my life, I'm okay with being distant."

Nodding, Wanda understood his reasoning even though she couldn't imagine not being super close to her own brother. She was lucky to have had Pietro in her life.

"I don't often talk about my past," Clint mentioned, breaking the silence once more as they gazed at the landscape they both grew to love. "And there's still a crap load that almost no one knows about, including you…" He paused, as if debating whether or not to continue and how. "Is it alright if I ask you to keep what I shared on the down low? Only Laura and Nat know what I told you and…"

Wanda instantly gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Clint, I'll respect your privacy."

Looking back at Wanda, he shared her smile. She was so understanding of his past that maybe it was another unconscious reason why he always discussed bits and pieces with her.

He didn't even need to say 'thank you,' she already knew his gratitude through his expressions. Instead, Clint broke their side hug and rotated his shoulders to stretch them. "Then how about you come and help me fix the washing machine? I think my arm has had enough strain for one day."

"Good idea," She said as Clint swung his bow to rest across his back with his quiver. "We don't want you breaking your arm _again_."

"That _would_ be a shame," Clint laughed while walking the path back to the house, glad it was free of the knee deep snow that had recently been covering it. He would have traveled the path either way to get to the home and people he loved, but he was glad that finally, he didn't have to claw his way through.

It had taken a shitload of pain to get here, but he had made it.

And Wanda would too.

* * *

 **I wrote this chapter close to a year ago, and since then I've met a handful of amazing people in college who have had their own share of childhood struggles. I didn't write this chapter to make light of a situation that many people go through, and with recent revisions I hope it lets everyone struggling know that there is hope and change will eventually come.**

 **With this, I give you the conclusion on the fun mini series of an injured and recovering Clint Barton. I will go back to one shots for a short while but eventually, I'll break into the Civil War and hopefully spread some more awareness on some heavy topics then.**


	41. Archery Lessons

"No..." Cooper gasped in disbelief as he looked down at the open box before him. "No. This can't be..."

Clint couldn't stop a smile from creeping as he saw his sons utter disbelief, looking like he was in a dream. "We thought it was about time," He said as he put a hand on Laura's knee. "You _are_ turning thirteen today, you're on your way to becoming an adult."

"You're responsible, we think you're ready." Laura added from the couch they sat upon.

"Really?" He beamed. He was incredibly honored that his parents thought he was responsible enough for... _This_.

"You've been asking me for years, now it's time you learn," Clint referred to the birthday gift on display amidst the tissue paper.

Cooper was almost afraid to touch it after not being able to his whole life. Clint always kept him away from it, but now, he was just handing it over... Cooper almost didn't know what to do.

"Go ahead," Clint urged as he noticed the kid's hesitance.

Looking down at the expertly carved wood, he carefully grabbed a hold of the object as if it was a museum relic. After a minute of worrying it might crumple apart by his touch, when nothing happened, he held it comfortably in his hand. Just like he had seen his father do so many times before.

"It was my very first bow, and now it's yours," He smiled as he saw Cooper slowly pull the string back as if to test a non existent arrow. This specific bow was always on a rack by the door, so Cooper had looked at it in envy for years. It may have been old and on display most of the time, but Clint had kept it in prime condition, often taking it out for practice in the woods to keep it working just as good as any other bow.

"This is incredible..." Cooper mumbled in shock as he finally took his eyes away from the object and looked at Clint nervously. "Are you sure, dad?"

"Yes," Clint replied without hesitation.

"Positive?"

"Absolutely," He reassured.

"But this is your special bow and..."

"Cooper," Clint didn't let him finish his worrying. "You're ready, trust me. Plus, this bow is so special that it deserves to be used as more than just decoration. You're doing me a favor by having it."

"Come on Cooper! You've wanted this for years!" Lila almost complained, not understanding why her brother wasn't more excited about the gift. He had talked about learning the art for years, often annoying Lila with his desire.

However, now that he was so close to reaching his goal, Cooper suddenly felt a huge weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He was still excited, there was no doubt about that, but he knew this bow meant a lot to Clint and this overwhelming trust in him was a lot of unexpected pressure. He wasn't so sure he could live up to even his own expectations.

Taking a deep breath to collect himself, he looked back down at the object in his hand. No matter what, he couldn't stop grinning despite the heavy responsibility he felt. This had been a long time coming and even now, he was still itching to learn.

Carefully placing it back in the box, he ran up and hugged Clint on the couch. "Thank you so much dad!"

Gladly hugging back even though he noticed the look of uncertainty, Clint made a mental note to later tell Cooper he didn't hold him to high standards. All he really wanted for his son was to enjoy the sport safely. In hopes to ease the nerves for now, Clint replied, "Do you want to try it out?"

Instantly, excitement came flooding back at the idea of actually using it, drowning out most of the hesitance with anticipation. "Hell yeah!"

"Language!" Lila shouted as Clint got up from the couch. Everyone couldn't help but chuckle at the inside joke that spread throughout the household.

Breaking the laughter, Clint clapped his hands together. "Since you're clearly very passionate based on your _language_ , your first lesson starts now. I hope you're ready."

"I've been ready for years!" Cooper practically jumped into the sky, ready for his first lesson in archery.

* * *

"My arms are already tired and I only shot two arrows," Cooper commented while rotating his shoulder. If he was already sore, he couldn't imagine how much more he would have been if Clint hadn't instructed him to stretch beforehand.

Clint noted how one of Cooper's arrows landed on the top edge of the target and the other flew over it. "Archery isn't an easy activity, it takes a lot of strength and practice before you really make progress," He spoke from experience. "We'll take it slow, starting small and increasing the amount of arrows gradually to build up the strength. There's a lot you need to know about archery either way, so right now, our main focus will be learning the nitty-gritty details."

Cooper nodded, even though he wanted to practice however much he wanted, his dad was probably right. It was okay to take it slow, especially in this first week based on how his arms felt like jelly.

"Try it again," Clint motivated him. "Don't shoot, let's just see that stance."

Standing perpendicular to the target, Cooper stood with his feet shoulder width apart and a raised bow. He knocked an arrow from the quiver at his hip while Clint walked around him, mentally criticizing his form before showing what he needed to fix.

Putting one hand on his son's shoulder and the other on his back, he lightly adjusted Cooper's stance so he could get a feel for the proper position. "You have great posture, but you're bending your shoulders too far back. You're adding unnecessary tension. It's okay to have them feel a little relaxed, just don't lean too far in any direction."

Noting the two shots he took earlier, Clint continued. "Whenever I see agents practicing with a bow, they lean too far back. That's why they can't hit the target consistently. Even the little details affect how you shoot, and it's better to learn correctly from the beginning."

As Cooper adjusted in the new position, he nodded his head as he stored all the information he was learning into his memory. He didn't want to miss a single word from his peaked interest in the skill, so Cooper gave Clint his full attention.

"Now your elbow," His dad walked to where his arm held the bow out in front of him. "Right now it's straight as a nail and we actually don't want that. It should be a little bent and only pointing downwards _slightly_ , not directly. If it points too far down, the string will hit against your forearm when released."

As Clint made a slight adjustment to his arm's position, Cooper asked, "But isn't that why we have the arm guard," He referred to the plastic plate wrapped around his forearm. Before the lesson even started, Clint was sure he wore it like the gloves on his hands. "It's to protect my arm from the string, right?"

"Since you're a beginner, yes. But in most cases the arm guard is there to protect your clothes from also snagging and throwing off your shot, it shouldn't be constantly slapping against the plate. With proper form, your arm shouldn't even be in the way. Form will prevent the string from ever hitting you and the arm guard will be there just in case." Clint explained, glad Cooper was asking questions and learning all he could. It showed he really did have an interest for this and Clint wasn't forcing him to learn something he didn't want to.

Stepping back, making sure nothing else was wrong with his son's stance as he avoided the line of fire, he let Cooper become familiar with this new position before giving his arms a break. He made Cooper practice pulling back up into that same stance over and over again without actually releasing any arrows to help him learn it back and forth. He needed to be able to recreate it so it would eventually become second nature.

After what felt like a sore lifetime, Clint finally allowed him to shoot a few more arrows, moving his criticism along with him.

"You're aiming too high," Clint noted as he saw most of the arrows hit the top or completely miss the target. "You're not accounting for the fact that the arrow isn't at perfect eye level. Eventually you'll get a feel for the bow, but for now you need to aim lower than you naturally think. Remember that your arrow is lower than your eyesight, so aim lower to account for that."

Knocking another arrow, Clint went through the checklist he had told Cooper to run through each time, the teen hopping through each step as Clint said them. "Stance straight, feet shoulder width apart. Grip on bow is firm but at ease. Three fingers on the string. Don't grip onto the back of the arrow. Let it rest. Draw it back, index finger right against the corner of your mouth. Relax. Aim. Aim lower. Release and follow through."

As Cooper followed the orders, he let out a deep breath after the arrow. The next thing he knew, it was sticking out of the center of the target. Even though he was only about five meters away from it, he couldn't help but smile at the accomplishment.

"Hey!" Clint proclaimed with excitement as he put his hands on his son's shoulders. "Awesome job, Coop! You may just be the new and improved Hawkeye!"

Even though this had been a lucky shot, what he said made Cooper feel incredibly proud. It was a huge compliment coming from an Avenger, but even more importantly, his father. It showed that he truly gained his father's trust.

Cooper looked up to Clint, always wanting to be as strong and persistent as him. Now that his father had so much faith in him, he couldn't contain the smile on his face.

He was totally going to start working his butt off to improve. Not just because he had gained his father's praise, but because he really did enjoy this lesson and truely wanted to shoot well. Maybe he _would_ become the new Hawkeye...

"Thanks dad," Cooper finally beamed as Clint wrapped him in a tight hug despite the bow getting in the way.

Clint smiled a bright and silent response. His pride in his son, not just in this lesson but of how Cooper was growing in general, was shown without words. Instead, he asked, "Are your arms done for the day or do you want to shoot round two?"

With a smirk on his face and sore arms, Cooper pushed out of the hug and pulled out another arrow from his quiver. "Let's go round two."

* * *

"Are you sure, Clint?" Laura asked, making sure that he really _was_ okay about parting with one of his prized possessions. "I know how much that bow meant to you."

"I'm sure," Clint nodded as they discussed the private matter in their bedroom later that night. She was one of the few who knew how much he had been through with that bow, Natasha being the only other.

Well, she was the only other who was alive. He had talked to Phil as well, but now that didn't make a difference. Fury knew about his past, but Clint never talked personally about it with him. He only gave a crap when he needed to dig it up from Shield's files for missions.

He told Wanda a little last week, but compared to the heavy past he carried, he had shared practically nothing. In honesty, his reflection period with her made him realize that now was the right time to give the instrument a new owner. He had carried the load of baggage attached to it for so long and would love to lighten it. The bow wouldn't be baggage for Cooper, it would be recreation.

"Sometimes I need to let go of the past," Clint quietly spoke as he put a lot of thought into Laura's question.

"But not all of it. I know you have some good memories associated with that bow too..." She started before Clint cut her off.

"You're right, there are some good memories associated with it. That's why it deserves to make more." Clint smiled, thinking of the great joy he had performing with that bow in the circus shows, and the time he spent learning that set him on this path. It was a trusty tool that helped him through a lot, even if it was just to let off steam, he hoped Cooper would find a usefulness in it. "Besides, it's not disappearing. It'll still be in the house and I know Cooper will take better care of it than I've been able to. He's wanted it for years, after all."

As he spoke, Clint almost didn't notice how Laura came up from behind and trapped him into a hug after being so caught up in his memories. Even if he was almost startled, he gently held her arms around his stomach.

Clint laughed under his breath as they enjoyed each other's embrace. "Cooper really has a passion for it, I never thought he'd like it so much. He even offered to help me with the firewood tomorrow. I think he wants to gain more upper body strength for his drawback."

"Really? And I thought he just wanted to help out with extra chores..." Laura grinned with him. "It's nice to see him invested in something, I haven't see him this invested since he played that _Zelda_ video game."

"Well, at least he won't be a couch potato," Clint smirked. "Who would take care of the farm while I'm gone?"

"Me," Laura smirked back. They both knew she was fully capable of running and taking care of the farm alone and then some. "I doubt Lila will want to learn though, she hasn't shown any interest," Laura's tone lowered, knowing how much Clint liked teaching Cooper the art already and how he would be disappointed when his lessons were over.

"That's okay," He looked down and intertwined his own hands in Laura's fingers. "I had that feeling too. She doesn't want to use weapons that could be used to hunt. Especially since we met the deer."

In reality, he was fine with not teaching Lila. If she didn't have a passion to learn, he didn't want to force her. He could tell she wanted to do great things in other ways, not through the potential violence of archery but through more peaceful manners. She was showing promising interest in helping protect life and the earth through various forms of cleaning it up. Her desire to go vegan when she's old enough was one of the many.

"Speaking of the deer," Laura thought back to the family they hadn't seen in weeks, "Have you been out to see them since you got back on your feet?"

"Not yet," Clint replied, knowing she was scheming based on her tone. He didn't even need to turn around and see her devious face. "Why? What are you up too?"

Leaning her head against her husband's back, she simply replied, "Oh, I don't know... Date night?"

Letting his smile grow at the thought of spending time alone with his wife, he simply repeated back, "Date night it is."

* * *

 **Reader Lamarquise had brought to my attention that I wasn't clear in mentioning Phil and Nick also knew about Clint's past in the last chapter, so I scattered it in here. I originally thought it didn't need mentioning, but since others wanted clarification, I did my best to fix my mistakes. I do pay attention to the critic of my readers, so don't be afraid to let me know if I need to clarify! I can't fix what I don't know is wrong, after all :)**

 **Also, due to popular demand and specifically PrincessStarberry's request, I'm adding the deer next chapter. The deer are the roots these one-shots were based on and I want to include them more, so if anyone has more unique ideas for the deer family, just leave a comment! I could use more inspiration, but for now, my roommate gave me some great ideas for wholesome fluff and I _can not wait_ to write it!**

 **Fun fact: This story has turned a year old, and I'm proud of how it has grown so far:) My writing will continue to improve and I appreciate all who have come with me on this journey no matter how long they've stayed! Thank you all!:D**


	42. Deer Date

Her voice was simply angelic, that was the only way Clint could describe the beauty of Laura's singing.

She didn't sound like the country singer of the song's original artist, but she didn't need to sound like Carrie Underwood. Laura had a voice all her own, and to Clint, it was significantly more beautiful than any famous singer as she performed the lyrics that meant the most to her.

 _"It ain't always pretty as a picture, and it ain't a mansion on a hill._

 _It's perfectly imperfect, it's worth more than it's worth,_

 _It's our life, it's our heart, it's our home_

 _This is our kingdom."_

He had missed these days. Days when he would simply sit with his amazing wife in the spring grass, strumming a guitar to a song she sang. It was almost like they were young again, the peace and quiet in the forest reminding him of the simpler times. Times when it was just the two of them, before they started raising a family.

And while he adored his family, it was always nice to spend some long overdue time with the woman he fell in love with many years ago.

Leaning against her husband's side, she lightly hummed and gently stroked his arm, being careful not to hinder his strumming too much. Clint already wasn't the greatest at playing the guitar since he preferred playing piano, but he didn't mind Laura's soft strokes. She in turn didn't mind the occasional missed chord.

Spring was finally setting in. The trees were gaining a lush coverage, yet it was still new enough to let sunlight through and encase them in warmth while it danced on their skin.

It was beautiful. She was beautiful.

He only stopped playing for the sole purpose of leaning in to kiss Laura, and she stopped humming to do the same.

They didn't even need to say 'I love you's', they already knew that. So after their kiss, Laura instead said, "I missed this."

Clint let out a sigh of relief because this was the most relaxed he'd felt in months. "Me too. It's been a while since we've gone on a forest date."

"It takes us back," She smiled as she knew this type of date was both their favorite. "I think it was here that you first kissed me."

Clint grinned brightly at that memory in time. "You wouldn't be mistaken, I could never forget that first kiss. Or that date," He replied.

While one would imagine it was memorable because of their first kiss, it had stuck with Clint for a different reason. It stuck because she had waited for _him_ to be ready to move their relationship further.

From the moment they first met, the simple act of patience had always shown that she deeply respected his boundaries, but it wasn't until that very moment that he realized it. He always had major trust issues and the simple unspoken act showed Clint that her intentions were true, even when he automatically feared the worst from everyone.

In this very forest, it had felt so right to be with Laura so he took the leap of faith he'd been afraid to. It proved to be the best leap he ever made because now, years later, they enjoyed a similar date. The only differences being that they were now happily married with kids, and the scenery now consisted of deer eating in the distant forest underbrush.

The deer only seemed to symbolize how much things have changed, yet stayed the same. Clint and Laura silently watched as the parents enjoyed each other's company with their fawn, eating a family dinner. It wasn't too different from how they themselves enjoyed being with their family as it grew over the years.

And just like years ago, their desire to sing overpowered them on this date. Now that they had deer nearby, the two thought they would have disappeared to graze elsewhere, but they hadn't.

They simply continued eating, unbothered and maybe even enjoying the show as much as the two humans.

It couldn't help but scratch Clint's brain in slight confusion, wild deer not usually staying near humans for extended periods, especially when they were making noise. Unless it was winter and they left food out for a herd, the deer wouldn't have any reason to stick around.

They weren't like normal deer, and it showed. They were special, especially to the Bartons. They all knew they had brought the family closer than ever through the little moments they spent with each other, even when no one mentioned the impact aloud.

As if reading his mind through a stroke of his arm, Laura said, "We were lucky to have met these deer. They make this moment even sweeter."

"Yeah..." Clint commented as he was still partially lost in thought. He was trying to imagine a life without all he currently had, and he simply couldn't tell where he might have been.

Finding his wife's hand on his arm, he gently grabbed hold and tightly intertwined their fingers. Clint quietly reflected, "What are the chances we met them? Met each other."

It took a moment, but she thought of a response. "Maybe two in a million, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Even if I had to go through that pain and embarrassment again."

Clint smirked at the mention of that night they first met. They could never have known the simple meeting would spark their whole future, but it was a more pleasurable experience for him as opposed to Laura...

"Thanks for doing me this favor, Clint," Sheriff Jim smiled as they drove up the grass lot, trying to find a parking space in the scurry of people. "With my deputy visiting family and that flu decommissioning half of security, they really appreciate the extra hands. They want to make sure everyone has a safe time at the county fair this year."

Driving into their new parking space, Clint lied, "It's no problem Jim, I wasn't doing anything this weekend anyways."

If he was being honest, Clint wasn't too thrilled to be at the county fair. Fairs reminded him too much of the circus, and some of those memories weren't the greatest. But whether he liked it or not, he had to go on this venture. It wasn't up to him, it was up to the therapist Director Fury forced upon him.

Fury wouldn't allow Clint to work until he was cleared as 'mentally fit for duty.' After a recent mission where his past came too close for comfort, this therapist wanted him to face his past in a more controlled setting, as opposed to jeopardizing a mission.

He wouldn't be surprised if Shield was the reason the security crew at this fair came down with, 'a bug.' It was rather convenient timing for helping him get passed some of his uncertainties.

"Are you sure, Clint?" Jim broke his thoughts after noticing his hesitation with the whole situation. "I don't mind if you don't want to help. I drag you into my work too many times to count already."

Clint shook his head, giving a fake but reassuring smile. "I promised I'd help, so I'm going to. You can't convince me otherwise."

Jim's eyes narrowed for only a second, not in an accusing glance but instead a worried one. After only knowing the sheriff for less than a year, Clint could tell he was an honest man who cared about people and not just the law. It was refreshing to see the glimpses of care he had, even if it went as fast as it came.

"Then I should honestly start paying you," He smiled before hopping out of the truck. Slamming the door behind him, Clint in close pursuit, the sheriff looked across the hood once more to make sure he really _was_ okay with it. Behind Clint's features, he may have saw hesitance, but he also saw his willpower.

There would be no talking him out of it.

The two gave each other a silent acknowledgment, Jim saying, "Well, if your mind's set, let's go."

Walking towards the fair entrance, Clint never dreamed he would have been on friendly terms with a Sheriff. When he moved into the small town a year ago hoping to occasionally get away from the hustle of city life, he never thought he'd have his hand in breaking up bar fights and forming an unofficial partnership with an official. With how often Clint defied authority figures at Shield, he surprised even himself.

Maybe it was because Jim wasn't his employer and therefore couldn't boss him around, meaning Clint was able to help by his own free will. Or maybe it was because he never pried into Clint's life. He never asked how he knew all the skills he did, he rarely questioned him. Clint liked that.

This random assortment of reasons and his own pleasure from helping people were likely why Clint was always glad to lend a helping hand to this good cop... Except this time. He would simply have to survive this weekend.

The closer they got to the fair grounds, the more uneasy Clint felt by the overwhelmingly familiar smells, sounds, and sights that filled the air. Spending most of his childhood in the circus, this similar atmosphere hit a little too close to home with some of those nasty memories he tried to keep hidden.

At least he had an assignment to do. Being extra security would keep him distracted. With his new job at Shield (that he frankly loved), he was glad to be given something to do on his forced weekend off. It kept him busy.

Throughout the course of the day, Clint learned every inch of the fair grounds throughout his rounds. He knew where all the rides were, all of the shady corners behind booths, when the various animal auctions were happening so he could follow the crowd... He basically memorized the fair like the back of his hand as he kept his eyes peeled for pickpockets or other dangers.

Although this setting reminded him of the betrayal of his brother and Swordsman, the more he roamed, the more at ease he started feeling. He had almost forgotten all the joy the circus had brought him and what an overall positive landmark it was in his life. It took the smiling faces all around to remind him that people came to fairs and circuses alike to have fun with the people they loved, and he was reminded of the people that still meant a lot to him.

Not everyone from his past had been bad, the bad ones just stood out.

As the day wore on into night, he found himself going from being uncertain to not minding the families smiling around him. A smile almost creeped onto his own face as he walked passed some of the rides, but it swiftly disappeared when he saw one person out of place.

Among the crowds and smiles, he saw a lone woman behind a ride, doubled over in pain as she leaned against a metal railing. She was clutching her stomach as if about to hurl up her dinner.

Quickly glancing around to see that no one noticed the nook she found, Clint decided to take initiative. His job was to be helpful after all, and she looked like she could use some.

Clint briskly walked over to the woman with long auburn hair, and even when he was right next to her, she seemed too wrapped up in her own pain to notice.

"Excuse me, miss?" Clint politely asked. "Are you okay?"

The sudden voice caused the woman to jump and look up, brown eyes meeting his own for only a second before focusing behind him, as if looking for someone. "Yeah," She wheezed, "I'm fine."

Clint was not convinced by her sickly pale face and the fact that she couldn't catch her breath. With a raised eyebrow he replied, "I don't mean to be rude but you look far from 'fine.'"

She let out a sigh, which sounded more like a pant. "I'm just feeling nauseous, that's all," She vaguely said because she didn't want to go into the embarrassing truth of the situation, especially with a stranger. "I'm just waiting for my friend to get back."

"Maybe you should sit down while you wait then, you look about ready to topple over," He said while scoping out an open bench nearby.

She wanted to reiterate that she was fine but in reality, she really did want to sit down. The only problems being she wasn't sure she could make it to the bench without barfing, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to trust a strange man who found her hideaway from the crowd.

Clint noticed her hesitance to trust him. He didn't blame her since he didn't hand out his own trust lightly, so he did his best to convince her his motives were pure. "I'm just here to help, I'm part of the extra security detail tonight. I can either wait here for your friend to return or I can help walk you over to the bench, but I'm not going to leave you here alone in case I need to call for further medical attention."

The woman looked up at him, studying his features for a long moment. He appeared to be genuine but in case he wanted to try something, she decided it was best to be in the open. At least he was willing to help her to the bench near the crowd.

Finally, she nodded her silent answer.

"Here," Clint said as she accepted the help and they started to make their way over to the open bench, "Let's just take it nice and slow..."

As they walked, he kept his arm close by. She wasn't ready to fully accept his help, but he kept it near in case she needed to lean on it since she slightly swayed with each step.

Halfway to the bench, she was glad he did have his arm out because she needed it to finish the journey when her dizziness didn't subside. She was thankful as hell to flop down into the bench and wait out her turning stomach.

For minutes on end the woman rested her arms on her knees and kept her eyes closed, focusing on not barfing. Clint stood nearby and kept a watchful eye in case she needed further help.

It took some time, but once she was feeling a bit better, she said, "Sorry for being a hassle."

Clint put his hand up to dismiss her apology. "No need to apologize, this is my job after all."

She glanced back up at the man for a brief moment before fixing her eyes back on the dirt so she didn't accidentally vomit on anything. Though she still watched him from the corner of her eye, despite seeming harmless enough. Eventually, she decided that instead of returning his help with hostility, she would introduce herself. "I'm Laura, by the way."

"Clint," He simply replied. "Are you feeling a bit better?"

She barely nodded her head, keeping from moving too much. "Yeah, a bit. I don't want to keep you if you have work to do, I think I'll be fine now. My friend will be back soon..."

As she rambled a little, Clint decided to sit down on the bench as well, showing he wasn't going to ditch her as he kept a generous amount of distance between them.

"I'll wait until your friend gets here first, make sure you're as okay as you say," He slightly smirked knowing she wasn't telling the complete truth. "Plus, business has been slow today. You're giving my boredom a break."

For the first time, he saw Laura crack a smile. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked with a smile on her face even in her sickly state.

And for the first time that night, Laura looked up to fully see the man's face that had helped her. She couldn't help but notice the same, how nice he looked with a smile...

After a prolonged moment of the two staring at each other, she turned away, smile still on her face.

"Thank you for doing your job then," She said with genuine gratitude. "You don't know how amazing it feels to sit down."

"My pleasure," He replied, understanding the feeling all too well after a long Shield mission. "Besides, if you're coming down with a sickness you shouldn't be alone."

After mentioning the word 'sickness,' her face turned red. Immediately Clint's caught on that she felt sick for a different reason and was embarrassed to share why.

However, this man had helped her and feeling a bit bad for being so stubborn earlier, Laura thought he might as well know the stupid truth. "Well... It's more motion sickness if anything."

A humorous grin found it's way onto Clint's face while Laura's turned bright red, "Ahh, the spinning bear ride took a number on you?" He replied after realizing she was hidden away near the exit of what was basically a 'spinning teacups ride' replaced with bears.

"You could say that. I'm not good with rides."

Upon hearing that, Clint couldn't help but be curious as to why she purposely made herself sick. "If you knew that, then why did you go on one?"

"I trusted my friend, that was the worst mistake I could have ever made," She smiled and turned back to Clint, seeing his serious expression. He looked worried, as if she just experienced a major betrayal. "Hey, I'm just messing around," Laura said to ease this man's worry, wondering why he instantly thought of the worst. "Kayla's a great person, but she's also a trickster. Her little cousin is in town and she wanted us to go on the ride with her. Kayla promised she wouldn't spin the bear, but I should have known she would."

Seeing the humor she found in the memory despite her current sickness, Clint noticed her words weren't out of spite and she wasn't actually mad at her friend. Just as he was about to relax, Clint almost jumped when he heard a voice nearby shout, "There you are Laura!"

Laura didn't even need to face the voice as she buried her face in her hands again. "Hey Kay."

"I got the water you asked for," The woman known as Kayla walked over with a drink in hand and a smaller girl at her side. She carefully handed Laura the cup before noticing the man on the bench next to her. Instantly, Kayla's eyes narrowed as she judged the stranger, making sure he wasn't harassing her. Clint could already tell that she was a close friend by how protective she was. "Who are you?" Kayla accused.

"I'm working extra security on the fair grounds. I was just making sure your friend was alright," He smiled and stood up, feeling that it was his place to go. Now that her friend was back and Laura seemed like she'd be okay, he had his rounds to get back to. "It was nice meeting you, Laura. I hope you feel better."

Laura smiled just as brightly as he did. "It was nice meeting you too, Clint. And thank you for your help."

Glad he could be of some assistance and glad he met this woman, Clint nodded as he went back to work.

It was weird, he actually wanted to see her again. He almost never felt that way towards a stranger, but this 'Laura' was somehow different. From their brief interaction, he was actually looking forwards to hopefully seeing her around the fair the next few days.

Maybe this weekend wouldn't be so tedious after all.

Once Clint was gone, Kayla quickly turned around to Laura in worry. "What happened? Did he do anything to you?"

"What? No," Laura defended instantly. "He just helped me walk over to the bench. You worry too much."

"Oh," She smirked, noticing Laura's red features. "So this is a side effect of the Bear Affair ride," She gave her friend a hard time to embarrass her further.

"Shut up," Laura shook her head at her friend's bad joke and started drinking some of the water in hopes to hide some of her blushing. "He's just doing his job," She said in between gulps.

"Right..." Kayla teased. Looking back at where the man disappeared, Kayla smirked. She had a funny feeling that they hadn't seen the last of this, ' _Clint_.'

"And Kayla's feeling was right," Laura reminisced as she explained the intuition her friend told her about years after their initial meeting. "We hadn't seen the last of each other, it was just the beginning. I even went back to the fair the rest of the weekend. I wasn't originally going to, but Kayla managed to easily convince me."

Clint smiled as he remembered the whole weekend while holding his wife close in a hug. "I wouldn't have been part of security that weekend if I wasn't forced to. I'm glad I was there."

They were glad they had met each other on that day, feeling as though they were brought together by fate. They could have been anywhere that day, but they both ended up in the same spot causing the many dominoes of future events to fall into place. Now they were here.

Who would have thought Clint making sure Laura was okay would turn into long hours of socializing, exchanging numbers, creating a strong friendship, going on dates and eventually, married with kids. In reality it was a road that took about fifteen years, but it felt like they sped down it.

They shared a kiss, feeling as if they were on their very first forest date. They both felt like they were twenty-five as they were alone together, and it was nice to feel that young again.

The spring beauty around them only seemed to remind them of that feeling, and so did the deer in the distance. The deer were still nearby even though they had moved on from eating. They simply sat all together among the trees, heads resting against each other as if they were having their own date with their kid at their side.

Laura couldn't help herself. Leaning away from Clint she reached for her bag. Taking out her camera, she silently snapped a few photos of the deer, wanting to capture this moment in time forever. A special moment like this was long overdue, and the deer only seemed to symbolize how content they all felt.

Clint laid his head on Laura's shoulder to get a closer look at the expert level pictures she took, lightly kissing her neck in the process. "You were always the artist in the family."

She smiled at the compliment. "I don't know, Lila seems to be taking over that mantle," She teased.

"Well," Clint shrugged, "You'll always be my favorite work of art. After all, you've made the best pieces in our museum."

She spit out a laugh after failing to hold it in, causing Clint to join as he was fully aware of how sappy those words were. "Seriously?" Laura replied between laughs. "That's the cheesiest way of putting it."

"I have to agree," A voice that wasn't theirs made the two instantly stop and jump from the voice.

As they frantically turned around, Natasha came out from behind a tree. On instinct, Clint grabbed the nearest rock and tossed it at his idiot friend for startling them. He didn't even worry about her getting hit since he knew she would catch it flawlessly.

Clint let out a relieved breath before complaining to his friend like they were kids. " _Natasha_ , don't sneak up on us like that! Do you know what the definition of a 'date' is?"

She dropped the rock and walked towards the pair. "Sorry to ruin your moment, but you said you'd be back over an hour ago. The kids got worried."

Upon hearing that, Laura rummaged through her bag and found her phone. "Gosh, it is late. Thanks for letting us know, Natasha."

"Well, I'm sorry to ruin your fun," She said honestly before turning around. As she stood with her back facing them, she left the two confused for a moment until Natasha started shouting. "But how about we ruin it a little more!"

Hidden farther in the distance, the kids came running. All three.

Cooper ran as he held Nate, Lila besides him until they were close enough to let their brother walk alone with the support of his brother's hand. It wasn't long until they pounced on their parents, bombarding them with hugs after their mini journey.

Clint yelled as if he was being attacked by a savage animal. "No! Anything but the kids!"

Cooper let out an evil laugh as if teasing Clint. Acting as if he didn't turn thirteen a few days ago, he grabbed Clint from behind while Nate flopped into his father's lap. Lila attaching herself to Laura in the process.

Laura giggles as she was knocked down onto her back, Lila doing her best to pin her mother down without actually hurting her. In the parents struggle to regain composure, they made eye contact.

Their smirk was enough to let the kids realize they had made a grave mistake in attacking them.

"Dad!" Lila giggled as she tried to squirm away from the tickle attack he gave. It had made her wiggle off of Laura and allow her leverage to reach Cooper, helping out her husband's own situation. Their teamwork had halted the kid's own plans in the sudden turn of events.

Hearing the kids' cries for mercy, Nate did his best to hinder Clint's efforts from his lap. The young child grabbed hold of his arms, Trying his best to weigh them down but only hindering the tickling slightly because Nate wasn't nearly strong enough to keep his grip from slipping.

And outside of the family circle, Natasha secretly grabbed the camera that had been earlier abandoned and stealthily got in front of the family. She had to admit that it was adorable to watch her best friend laugh with pure joy, even if she would never admit that to anyone else.

Snatching several photos to capture the moment, everyone eventually settled down as a result of being out of breath from tickling or being tickled with no restraint. Cooper finally detached himself from Clint, falling onto the picnic blanket in between his mom and dad to catch a breather. He fell into the perfect position for one more family portrait before Natasha joined them on the blanket, sitting right besides her best friend and the child named after her in his lap.

Nobody needed to say a word for a long while, all of them enjoying the moment they had together. Even Natasha, who was happy to capture it.

Before Clint could even break the silence with a funny comment, Nate did it instead. He mumbled, pointing ahead of them after something caught his attention. It was the deer, still sitting far in the distance.

These deer certainly were special, sticking around even during their uncontrollable laughter.

Lila gasped from a realization, her voice bubbling over with excitement, "This is your first time meeting the deer, Nate!"

Clint smiled brighter at the idea that their most recent family member was now witnessing the deer that meant so much to everyone else, never failing to bring them all together.

"Those are deer, Nate," Lila said to her little brother, pointing in the distance with him as she tried to increase his vocabulary. "Deer. Can you say it? Deer?"

Stressing the word in repetition for a minute, a couple failed attempts later, Nate finally replied with an unsure, "Deer?"

Excited to hear him say a new word, everyone congratulated the child even if he barely understood what they meant. The one thing he did understand was the tone of their praise causing him to happily say the word again, pointing at the deer family once more. "Deer. Deer!"

"Yeah, Nate," Cooper playfully rolled his eyes at the redundancy, even though he loved seeing his brother's newfound excitement. "That's the deer alright."

"The one with the huge antlers," Lila pointed to the male before putting her hands near the top of her head as if trying to mimic the large crown. "He's the dad. His name is Bucky! Just like one of Uncle Steve's friends."

Nate's eyes lit up as he understood the meaning of one word she had said. Pointing upwards at the man who held him, Nathaniel said, "Dada!"

"Yeah," Lila replied as she tried to use words he knew to help him learn, "Bucky is the dada deer!"

Nate, believing he finally understood what she was trying to convey to him, continued pointing up at Clint and said, "Deer!"

Cooper instantly sprung a response of encouragement. "Exactly!"

"Hey!" Clint complained as everyone started giggling at the fact Nate thought he was a deer.

Natasha was the first to step in."I have to agree with Cooper, you resemble a deer in headlights on missions."

"I do not!" Clint defended. "I have great reflexes."

"Then how come you always come home battered," Laura lightly accused, as if to say, 'stop denying it, you know she's right.'

He was about to defend himself further but before he could, he got an idea. Changing the subject away from himself, Clint in turn started talking to Nathaniel. "Well, the deer with no antlers is the female," He explained through the same pointing method Lila used. "She's the mama deer."

"Mama! Deer!" Nate bounced and pointed to the deer Clint was pointing at before pointing to Laura. "Mama! Deer!"

Clint smirked the whole time. "Oh, how the tables have turned..."

"If that's how it's gonna be," Laura joked as she took a turn talking to the child. "The smaller deer, that's mama and dada deer's child. It's the Cooper and Lila deer."

Recognizing his siblings names upon hearing them, despite not being able to properly pronounce them yet, he pointed at the two. "Ooper! Lala! Deer!"

"You've brought the whole ship down, Clint. Now he's going to grow up believing he was raised by deer." Natasha said before stretching her arms over her head. "At least you can't include me in your herd, you've run out of deer."

Even while saying that, she knew she should have knocked on wood because just as soon as she spoke, Nate started to face her. Now thinking everyone around him were deer, he pointed to his Aunt saying, "Nata! Deer!"

"Looks like you're part of this Barton deer herd too, _Nata_ ," Clint knowingly grinned as he mocked the name. Nathaniel only recently started calling Natasha that and Clint quickly discovered she only allowed the baby to use that nickname without consequence.

Natasha in turn threatened her friend with a dead serious glint in her eyes. "Do you want to get punched?"

"Here we go again," Cooper whispered to Nate as the two friends started bickering like usual. It was almost as if the deer sensed the amusing storm of sarcasm coming as they stood up and trotted away.

Clint and Laura's forest date may have started out with just the two of them, but by the end they had grown into a whole herd. And while they may enjoy their alone time, they loved it more with family.

* * *

 **Updates will be slow for a while as I'm juggling a crap load of events, homework, exams, and my mental health, but I'm doing my best to take care of myself and write this story I love:)**

 **Also, thanks for PrincessStarberry for letting me know you wanted to see more of the deer! I love hearing input and if anyone has ideas including the deer, send them my way! Sorry this chapter took a long time to post but I hope it was worth the wait:)**


	43. When Hawk First Met Widow (Pt1)

**Rated T: Swearing, mild descriptions of injury, hints at suicidal thoughts/actions.**

* * *

Nathaniel was making it difficult for anyone to sleep.

Again.

Shushing the child in the late hours never seemed to work well with Nate, the unknown always seemed to bother him beyond comfort. Especially tonight. Singing, rocking, hugging, nothing worked. He just kept crying.

And the kids had school tomorrow, so Clint tried his hardest to get Nate to quiet down. After all, he didn't want Lila and Cooper catching up on sleep during class.

"Come on Nate," Clint quietly complained as he ran his hand through the small head of hair. "You have to work with me here. You're keeping the whole house up."

Nate simply responded with continued crying in his father's arms. As they sat in the nursery rocking chair, gently swaying back and forth, it was at times like these that Clint wished Nate could speak more than just a few random words. He wished Nate could tell him exactly what was wrong and how to help, but he couldn't. Clint was left to guess.

What hadn't he tried?

A story. He hadn't tried a story yet, maybe one would calm him down.

Clint could only hope as he tried to think of a good one to tell.

He loved to tell stories, but not ones of princesses in castles. Instead he had plenty of exciting stories from his adventures with Shield and the Avengers, so he didn't need a book to read from. He would tell stories about his good missions, the ones that didn't get him nearly killed and the ones that weren't classified. The ones with a happy ending. There weren't many compared to the ratio of missions he'd been on, but there were enough to go around.

Looking down at the puffy face of the one-year old, Clint couldn't help but grin as he remembered one fateful story. A story that seemed fitting to share because it had to do with Natasha, the favorite Aunt Nate was named after.

"How about I tell you a story, bud? A story about Auntie Nat?" He smiled and continued running his hand through the child's thin hair. Holding the crying kid close to his chest in a hug, he continued, "The story about how we met…"

He told this story so many times to Lila and Cooper, it was their favorite by far, but each time he never knew where to start the tale.

Since Nate was so young and likely wouldn't remember this night, Clint opted for starting in a new way. A more accurate way.

Tonight, he would tell the version that he'd eventually have to tell Lila and Cooper when they were older, without the sugarcoat he put on it now. Some of the details were sensitive, but since it was a favorite, the two friends came to the conclusion that one day they had the right to know the full truth. Right now would be the trial run, to prepare for when he'd tell the kids in a few years time.

Clint took a deep breath, "We were never the best of people, your Aunt and I. We both had our issues. Our pasts…"

He took a moment to collect his thoughts and figure out what to say next. "Natasha grew up with some bad people. She was raised to be a master assassin whether she wanted the life or not. When I met her, I could tell she was trapped in the deep end of the later. She really needed help."

Before he could continue, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up so he shot his head towards the doorway. There, he found Natasha leaning against the frame, arms crossed.

"What are you doing?" She sternly asked with her famous unreadable expression, eyes darting between the crying child and close friend.

When Clint's initial scare eased off, he replied, "Telling a story. What are you doing?"

"Not sleeping," She pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly on the verge of a headache from the child's continued whining. "I came up to see who was doing a poor job at shutting off the traitor."

As she closed the door to keep the crying contained in the nursery, Clint could tell she was dead tired by the way she carried herself. She seemed to ache with every step and her shoulders were slumped over. She never had poor posture. She must have had a longer week than he thought.

Leaning against the door, she sighed. She choose the perfect weekend to swing by the farm for a rest. Getting woken by a child was just her luck. Trying to take her mind off her sleep deprivation she asked, "Did I hear you talking about me in your story?"

Clint let a smirk graze his lips as Natasha rubbed her forehead. "I was telling Nate the story of how we met. You remember that, don't you?"

Even though she still had the shadow of her hand covering her face, Clint could have sworn he saw her smile for a brief second. It was secretly her favorite story too.

"You better not be spilling any secrets about me to this traitor," She said.

"Maybe I am," Clint teased. "I guess you'll have to stick around and monitor my story telling."

Natasha was glad to take up the invitation, but she didn't let Clint know that. She hid behind rolled eyes and proceeded to walk further into the room. "Might as well, I can't get any sleep anyway. Besides, you can't tell this without both sides of the story."

But the two knew each other so well that they shared a knowing smile anyway. She ended up sitting down near the rocking chair, her tired back finding a wall to lean against.

This was a memory both of them loved looking back on. Even though it was at a bad point in Natasha's life, she eventually came to terms with it. After all, it was one of the few stories that had a happy ending. It was the story that kicked off their lifelong friendship.

"Now where was I…" Clint began as he went back into the memory.

And to no one's surprise, it was snowing. It was winter in Russia, _of course_ it was snowing. Of course Shield sent him on this mission, who else would they send to do a stake out in below zero weather? Of course they would send the newbie.

He'd been a part of Shield for a few years, but he only passed training a few months ago and was finally sent out on proper missions. Of course on one of his first few missions alone, they had to give him an assassination, to see if he had the stomach for it. Of course he did, it's not like this would be his first kill…

Clint kept his eyes out, but he couldn't take it anymore. He had to put down his bow, his hands were so numb he could barely keep his aim straight. He had to warm them up or they would stop working by the time his target did show themselves.

Rubbing his hands together through the thin gloves, he breathed warm air into them in hopes of warming up a bit more. Keeping one eye on the mansion ahead of him and the other on his bow laying across the snow covered apartment complex, he sighed.

He hated Russia.

Turning back towards the mansion, he kept his hawk eyes out for the ' _Black Widow.'_ Her mission was to come murder the rich politician inside, according to their intel. His mission, was to try preventing it by shooting her dead.

They knew very little about who this Black Widow was. The only facts they had were that code name, the brief description of red hair among blurry pictures, and the fact that she had been on an assassination spree. Her skills were impeccable, taking out twenty men in a matter of minutes and some of the most powerful men in the world without being caught. With skills and murders like that, she was easily noticed on Shield's radar.

The one fact they had was she needed to be stopped. Right now she seemed to be a lone wolf, killing random and often innocent people between the powerful. There were no connections between the victims leading them to believe she was an assassin for hire, but they could easily be wrong with what little they knew.

Either way, she had to be eliminated. She was simply too dangerous.

And of course Clint had gotten stuck with killing one of the most dangerous assets in the field. Even though he was new, he was one of the best members Shield had. His aim was dead on, never missing a shot, and his skills were far beyond most agents after living in the circus as a teen. Coulson knew that Barton at least had a chance to defeat this mysterious Black Widow, any other agent would have been on a suicide mission.

Clint was just _that_ lucky, but at least his hands were warmer now, and just in time because that's when he saw her.

His target. Peeking out of her fur hat was the dead giveaway: The long, curled, and unmistakably red hair bouncing in the harsh wind.

But she was exiting the building. Clint hadn't even seen her go in… Even if it was a huge building, he would have seen something out of place either from the outside or the inside.

She _was_ good.

Inconspicuous too, she knew exactly how to act as she walked down the marble steps. She acted natural, tightening the fur coat around her waist as she took her sweet time down the many flights. She looked like she belonged, like a rich guest leaving a party. She was not new to this, that's for sure.

Clint brought his hand up to his earpiece, "Target acquired."

"Engage and execute, Barton," The Shield operative on the other line stated with urgency.

The Director really did want this woman dead.

"Copy that," Clint mumbled as he nocked an arrow. This should be a simple hit and run. After all, this woman should have no idea that Shield was onto her. She should have no idea of the archer on the roof.

And she didn't. She would have been killed right then and there if not for the slight whistle in the air that caught her attention. It was ever so slight, but as the arrow flew through the falling snow and wind, the glide was just enough for her to turn around at the exact second for it to miss piecing her heart. Instead, it shot her through the shoulder above.

Stumbling back, she quickly glanced at the arrow sticking out of her. As quickly as it happened, she ran through the mansion gates and onto the Russian streets, gaining cover from whatever archer had shot at her.

"Shit," Clint said as he stretched his near frozen fingers and grabbed his bag, swinging the bow over his shoulder. His aim was perfect, this lady really was good if she managed to sense the presence of the arrow. He didn't know many who could sense that besides himself.

There was something off about this whole situation. About this Black Widow.

As Clint was sliding down the already slippery fire escape, he heard the Shield agent on his comm ask for, "Mission confirmation."

He hesitated in an answer as he reached the icy ground and started chasing his prey. "Technical difficulties. I'll get back to you."

"Technical difficulties?!" The agent asked but Clint ignored all the questions he had after that. He had to focus on his mission.

On the plus side, the Black Widow was injured. Hopefully that would give him an edge. Following the fresh footprints in the snow, he couldn't help but notice how small they seemed. She must have been shorter in person. It was hard to tell by his high perch and what little information they had.

He turned various street corners, all empty of civilians because of the snowstorm, and he eventually reached an alleyway where he noticed her strides decrease. She was slowing down, hopefully from the injury.

But he didn't expect the footprints to disappear completely. The storm couldn't have covered her tracks that quickly.

It took him a second too long to realize why the footprints disappeared. As he looked upward, all he could do was brace himself against the weight of the woman that fell on top of him. It brought him down in a tumble with his weapon doing the same, but he didn't escape unscathed. He could feel the blood run down his arm already as the knife she held managed to cut clean through to his skin.

Swiftly breaking free from her hold, he jumped up to face this woman. This was the first time he got a proper look at who he was fighting.

His jaw dropped. He knew she saw, and that moment of hesitation was enough invitation for her to lung at him in hopes to catch him off guard enough to land a deadly blow. Broken arrow wedged in her shoulder or not.

This assassin was only a kid.

Well, she was a teenager only about the age of sixteen, but it was still too young to be skilled at this business.

Clint composed himself in order to block her knife, trying to sweep his leg under her to knock her off her feet, but she moved too fast. She took Clint's cut arm that deflected her attack and twisted it around his back, moving just out of reach and causing a good amount of pain to come from his own injury.

Before she could attempt to stab him again in a more vital spot, he managed to grab hold of her and throw her over his head, making her plunge into the snow covered concrete on her bad shoulder.

Since she willed herself to not let the injury affect her fighting, he at least had one advantage: She was strong but he was stronger, being a good few years older at the age of twenty-one.

But her arrow injury was extensive whether she accepted it or not. Blood was continuously streaming, taking her a solid moment to recover from the throw down. Clint could have finished the job right then and there, he had an opening… But he didn't. Instead, he took that time to contact the agent through his earpiece for instructions.

This may just be one of those extenuating circumstances they mentioned in training.

"Houston, we have a problem," Clint said as the girl struggled to get back to her feet quickly. The injury was clearly slowing her down more than she liked, but she persisted. "The Black Widow is a minor."

"A what?" He asked.

"A minor. A kid!" Clint finished, almost yelling over the wind as he once again had to go back into fighting this girl who wouldn't give up.

It took the agent a moment to reply and even with this newly developed information, he didn't waver in saying, "Barton, the Director's orders are orders. Kid or not she's a code 407 and needs to be shut down. Got it?"

Clint grunted as the girl seemed to use her own gymnastics skills to match his. "What about those extenuating circumstances?" He replied through a wheeze after being kicked in the gut.

"Not in a code 407, Barton. This has Fury's highest priority approval so no exceptions. She's too dangerous. Complete the mission." The agent insisted.

Only half paying attention to the voice in his ear, this time Clint took his turn to lunge at the kid. As he kept her focus by trying to knock her off her feet, sure enough she was free to swing her knife near his neck. He was prepared and grabbed her wrist right on time, twisting it backwards. He tried to restrain from breaking any bones and twisted it so the knife slipped from her fingers.

As soon as it clattered to the floor, he kicked it out of sight. In response, she jumped onto him, forcing Clint to let go of her wrist when she grabbed hold of his torso with her legs. Swinging around him until she was on his back, she attempted to grab his head to snap his neck, but before she could he sped backwards, forcing her into the brick wall of the alleyway.

It took her breath away just enough for him to grab her arms and toss her to the ground once more.

"Barton, copy?" The agent asked once again for confirmation, right as Clint turned off his earpiece to focus on the girl sprinting at him. Whether this random agent assigned to oversee the mission agreed with him or not, to Clint, this was an extenuating circumstance. Screw the Director's authority, he'd bent the rules in the past. He was going to take this matter into consideration and if the agent wouldn't help him, he would have to make the choice himself: Kill a _kid_ or figure something else out.

Clint had to admit, the later was much more appealing. He had never killed a kid before. He made a point not to because whether they were 'good or evil' they were still just kids. They had a life ahead of them of learning their way. Whoever a kid was yesterday may change in a week, and Clint knew that first hand.

He was young himself and still traveling the road to change, but he _had_ changed. All he needed was someone to give him the chance to.

Although, he did have to be logical about his options as he continued to battle the girl who landed a right hook into his eye. She was a trained assassin and she certainly wouldn't be taken in peacefully like ordinary enemies. He had to be sure this kid wouldn't be a threat to Shield if he decided to take her in. Likewise, he had to be sure that if he made the decision to finish the mission it would be the right one.

He needed a sign to guide him. He needed to figure out what type of enemy she would be: One who could be taken in or one who couldn't.

Knocking his thoughts back into the game as the Black Widow locked him in a chokehold, Clint heard her speak for the first time. "You're doing a terrible job of killing me," She spat in Russian, as if making fun of him being trapped in her grip. "Although you came the closest. It's really sad to see you go."

Clint could hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice as he gasped for air, frantically trying to think of an escape. However, she knew exactly where to stand so she was out of reach behind him. She was smart because he couldn't do a damn thing.

As his mind struggled to think from his lack of oxygen, he remembered that she was still injured. Taking note of where she held him in her stronghold, he noticed she was using her left arm to coke him.

The arrow wound in her shoulder was right behind his head.

Instead of fighting to escape, he let her fully trap his head between her arm and her injury. She was so stubborn with ignoring her wound that she forgot forcing his head into a stronger hold would put pressure on it. Therefore causing searing pain as the broken arrow shaft was forced deeper into her skin, the tip piecing straight through to the back of her shoulder.

Clint let her cause her own undoing, she hissed at the new sting running through her body but refused to let go of the hold. After a moment of her arm muscles tightening from the surge, her grip on him naturally grew more limp whether it was within her control or not. Either way, it was enough for Clint to break free and force her back just as spots started blurring his vision.

Kneeling in the snow on all fours, he wheezed violently to get air back into his system. He wanted to just take a break right then and there but he knew he couldn't afford to. Coughing as he scrambled to get some distance, he was bought a few precious seconds when he noticed he forced her backwards onto a slate of ice. She had slipped onto her back and now had to recover from that too.

He was one lucky bastard.

Both out of breath and in pain from various injuries, they took a long moment to just stare at each other through the snow blowing around them. It was a moment of pure silence, nothing but the wind as they each waited, anticipating each other's movements as they clutched their injuries.

Clint needed to make a decision, they couldn't go on like this forever. He wasn't even sure who would win now that he had gathered a lot of damage himself. He had to decide if he was going to take her out.

He looked in her emerald green eyes, hoping to find an answer to his question. The only thing he saw was her fiery anger towards him for that stunt and her stubbornness to keep fighting.

He could tell he wasn't going to get an answer that way. The only other idea he had was to speak through his croaked voice in hopes of initiating a response. He honestly had no idea what to say, but he needed to say something that would help indicate a route to take.

So he decided to play a wild card. The only thought he had was, "I'm not going to kill you."

But her accusing glare didn't falter. It only seemed to get more intense as she initiated a fight once more.

She went into battle with another hiss as they both started throwing and blocking attacks. Within the fight, he heard her mumble, "You're right, I'll kill you first."

After she said that, he couldn't help but feel as if she was off. Her fighting had been so composed before, seeming to throw every punch with a plan ahead. Now, she was slipping. She seemed to have anger flowing through her veins making her attacks more vicious.

Was it because Clint had come closest to killing her?

No. She seemed almost proud of him earlier, glad that she finally had a worthy opponent. That couldn't be it.

Then what was it? What made her so mad?

After blocking another kick, he realized the moment her fighting style changed. It was right after he spoke.

Why did his remark spark this?

Carefully noting each attack she made, Clint realized that her movements weren't flowing because of only anger. If anything, it was as if she was trying to get him to fight back, to lash out like she was...

" _I'm not going to kill you."_

She was trying harder than ever to get him to fight back. Maybe… She wanted him to kill her.

Clint eased up his attacks, being as generous as possible when pushing back so he didn't hurt her. He couldn't be sure that was the reason but if he was close to home, 'playing nice' would only make her more agitated because he was doing the opposite of what she wanted.

And amidst the battle, he noticed the blood loss was finally getting to her. Her movements started to stall only by milliseconds as she wasted her stored adrenaline. Clint managed to catch her fist mid punch, grabbing the rest of her arm and swinging her whole body behind him.

As he pinned her against the wall and held her there against her struggle for freedom, Clint didn't land a final blow. He waited. He waited until she looked up at him before he said in an even tone once again, "I'm _not_ going to kill you."

There wasn't a reaction right away, but faces being only inches away from each other, he noticed when the slightest bit did. Between pants, her lips curled down into a barely noticeable frown and her eyes were transparent for only a second.

A second was all he needed to make his final decision. He wasn't going to complete this mission.

Being distracted from his thoughts, the Black Widow took that moment to mutter the word, "Weak," before spitting in his face and kicking him in the crotch.

Briefly doubling over in pain from this kid's dirty fighting, he didn't take his eyes off her her as she stumbled to find the knife that clattered into the snow not long ago. That stumble was enough to show the blood loss was really starting to settle in her system, making her dizzy at her own fast movements.

Grabbing the knife and lunging once more at Clint, he in turn grabbed his bow that had tumbled off to the side at the beginning of the fight, swinging it like a bat as she rushed towards him. Because of her dizziness, she couldn't see the bow until it was too late and it effectively knocked her in the head. Hard.

The next thing he knew, she was crumpled face first in the snow.

Clint caught his breath as he fell to his knees into the cold. Looking at the unconscious teen in the snow, he realized he had no idea what he was going to do from here. He opted for the option of figuring something else out, but Shield wasn't going to arrest this kid if she had Fury's direct orders to kill. It wouldn't help that this kid likely wouldn't go anywhere without a fight.

He wasn't sure if this was a good decision, but Clint was sure of one thing.

Fury was going to kill him.

* * *

 **Thank you to all who commented with support last chapter! It really means a lot and I am doing a bit better now that I'm on summer break:) On that note, these next two chapters aren't a reflection of my own mental state. This idea was written long ago and I debated about including it for a long time. In honor of Endgame I thought now would be appropriate to include some extra Clint and Natasha, so I hope you all enjoy this two parter!**


	44. Road to Recruitment (pt2)

**Rated T: Swearing, mild descriptions of injury, strong hints at suicidal thoughts/actions.**

* * *

As a piece of adhesive tape was too stubborn to rip, Clint grunted in annoyance as he used his teeth to finish the job.

Oh yeah, this was a _great_ decision. Bandaging up the most deadly assassin he ever faced, hoping that when she did come to, she wouldn't kill him.

He was living the dream.

Not to mention he was hiding from Shield too. He had a feeling that if she woke up to a bunch of agents either helping or interrogating her, she would kill everyone in the room. Although her injury was pretty severe, he knew he had to talk some sense into her. She needed to behave if she was going to have a chance at living through Fury's wrath.

But that would take time. He hoped they had enough of it.

She could withstand a while without proper medical attention at the rate her blood was slowing. As long as he kept what was left of the arrow shaft in her shoulder to help the blood clot, using the medical tape and gauze to keep it steady should give them the time he needed. Once he sterilized the wound as much as he could without reopening it, he covered it with almost all the bandages he had. Keeping his hands clamped against both sides of the wound in her shoulder, the pressure would stop whatever was still trickling until he could convince her not to kill other doctors.

"What the hell am I doing?" Clint mumbled as he hit his head against the walls of the long abandoned factory. How would he get out of hot water this time? This had to be the stupidest thing he'd done by far, and on his first Shield assassination. He even turned off his tracker for this, that was a not going to fly well with Coulson.

And for what? He didn't even have a plan, he just hoped he could get out of killing someone so young because he got an uneasy feeling about it.

Taking a deep breath as his forehead continued to lean against the wall, he took a moment to compose himself before looking back at the girl. She was slumped against the same wall, arms shackled behind her to an old pipe going from the ceiling to the floor. It wasn't high tech security, but it was enough to slow her down in her current state.

Up close she looked so old for her age, her face looking heavy despite her short stature and physical appearance proving otherwise. She looked so tired, and Clint knew that because he had seen it before. In himself. Before Shield. Before his fresh start.

All of a sudden, he heard a low growl emitting from the Black Widow's mouth. She turned to face Clint, her eyes showing furious anger.

To break the silence within their staring contest, Clint said, "Good, you're not dead."

She didn't comment on his words and instead spat back in Russian, "Get your filthy paws off me."

Clint looked at the wound he held in place, peeling off the most recent layer of gauze to see if the blood had spread under the other layers. It had grown a little in the past few minutes, but it was definitely slowing. He was incredibly relieved he had just missed an artery, otherwise she would have been long dead.

Placing the gauze back in its original spot, he simply gave her no option, "You'll have to deal with my 'filthy paws' for a while longer."

Clearly not satisfied with his answer, she tried taking matters into her own hands and violently pulled against the shackles that held her down. She pulled so hard that Clint was sure she was willing to break something, whichever came first: The pipe or her wrists.

He understood why, that was spy business, his business. They had to go to extremes if their life depended on it, but she was going to end up reopening the wound and killing herself if she continued. After all the effort he put into wrapping it up and all the shit he was going to get from Fury already, he would prefer if she didn't do that.

Clint laid his other arm across her, doing his best to force her against the wall while one hand stayed on the injury. In her weakened state he managed to hold her back so she couldn't fight against the shackles with her body pressed harshly against them, but she still struggled.

"Hey!" Clint raised his voice to get her attention. "Stop it. You'll reopen the wound and bleed out."

They both glared at each other, fighting stubbornness with stubbornness until she finally let up. He could tell that she didn't care if she bled out, the only reason she stopped was because she wanted to conserve her energy for an escape attempt later.

Once Clint knew she wouldn't try it again, he released his arm from across her and went back to treating the other end of the wound. He could tell she was still dissatisfied with the silent compromise, so he kept a close eye on her to make sure she wouldn't be stupid again. He could tell by the way her eyes darted around the factory that she was trying to think of an escape route, but as he fiddled with the pressure on the wound he could see her face grimace at the pain.

She was a tough kid, he knew from experience that an injury like this was painful.

"Sorry," Clint mumbled in sympathy, earning him a raised eyebrow. She clearly didn't trust him, but to be fair he wouldn't have either. He _did_ shoot her.

Changing topic as if they had been in a conversation, he asked, "So, do you have a name other than Black Widow?" When he didn't get a response back, just as he expected, he continued anyways. "Yeah, me neither. I'm Hawkeye."

For a solid half hour after that introduction, they were both silent. Clint made sure she didn't grow any more pale from blood loss as he kept pressure on the wound, and the Widow simply looked dead ahead. It wasn't a blank stare, that would have been a bad sign. It was a focused stare. No doubt she was still trying to think of a way to get the upper hand in this situation.

After that time, the wound had clotted enough for Clint to release the pressure. So he sat a few feet away from her, interrupting her line of vision. She didn't look away as he sat directly in front of her, only seeming to stare into his soul with annoyance.

Clint took that time to unwrap his own arm injury. He messily covered it in his haste to help the Widow's more immediate injury, only taking enough time to make sure their two injuries didn't infect each other. Now, he was finally able to properly sterilize and inspect his arm.

It thankfully wasn't too deep, a few spots would need stitches but he'd survive. As he treated it, he looked back up at the kid multiple times to keep an eye on her. She didn't falter in her concentration as he used whatever gauze was left to wrap up his own wound, but he knew he would have to break her focus eventually. He couldn't hide out here forever, so he got down to business.

"Whoever taught you, taught you well," Clint mentioned in between glances to break the ice. "You're good at keeping your mouth shut and good at looking for opportunities to strike. You put up quite a fight for a kid."

He figured she wouldn't speak as he finished securing the gauze with tape based off her earlier tactic, so he was surprised when she did.

"You're not much older than me, you know."

She was right, he was probably only five years older than her. Still a young adult but significantly younger than almost all the people in this business.

However, Clint was confused about why she spoke when she had remained silent for so long. She had no reason to unless...

"Ahh," He smirked. "You're playing along. You want to get your own information out of me so you're going to try twisting the conversation to your will. Smart."

She kept her unreadable glare but once again, remained silent. She could tell she would have to use different techniques to get the information out of this man, so she'd have to play his game differently.

As Clint looked directly at her, he said, "I can already tell you're amazing at what you do. I'm not even going to bother with protocol and strategies. I'm already breaking every rule in the book for not killing you."

No response.

Shit.

Even if she was going to play along to get information, he at least wanted her to keep talking. He needed her to work with him.

So Clint decided to be blunt about the situation, he was going to be serious with this kid. He needed to do something to keep her reacting because he had to be sure he was making the right decision for not completing this mission. The only way he could do that was to keep gathering information on this kid. He had to cross check, so he decided to ask another question. "Do you know why?"

"I beg your pardon?" The kid asked.

Clint repeated himself, glad he was getting responses again. "Do you know why I didn't kill you? Answer honestly."

He leaned back on his hands, legs extended on the cold concrete as he waited for minutes on end for an answer. When she realized he wasn't going to let up until she answered him, she played his little game of twenty questions. "You're weak."

Clint shrugged. They were getting somewhere now. "Maybe I am, but that's not why. Guess again."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Why?"

"Come on, it's a guessing game," He responded. "Us 'kids' are allowed to play a game every now and again. Guess."

"Interrogation." She said without hesitation. All spies had a motive for keeping an enemy alive and it was usually to gather intel. "That's what you're doing right now."

"You're right about that, but I'm not going to torture you," He said every word carefully, keeping close watch of her reactions the whole conversation. He pressed forwards in hopes she would realize she knew why. "Come on, you know there's a different reason."

She was quiet. She honestly has no idea what this Hawkeye was trying to get at. Those were the general reasons an enemy would keep her around. What else did he want from her? She was tired of his game.

When he realized she didn't know what else to say, he sighed. She didn't even consider the fact he knew.

Instead of bluntly saying why, he decided to tell a short story to ease into breaking her cover. "You know, I was a lot like you. I was an assassin for hire, did a lot of shit, got a lot of blood on my hands. But do you know what's funny? As I was killing, I was never proud of it."

He let that sink in for a moment before saying, "Are you proud of what you do?"

She originally wasn't going to answer him, however she wanted information on her enemy just as much as he did. Ultimately, she replied with, "Yes."

But she had hesitated with her response. There was doubt in her mind, whether she acknowledged it or not. Clint was going to help her see that because frankly, he was too far into this hole to get out now. Since he was going to get in trouble with Fury either way, he might as well make the most of it. "You're an excellent liar," He responded. "You're so good that you even convinced yourself of your lies."

She huffed a laugh after he said that, almost in disbelief of such a crazy idea. So she mocked him. "Yeah, I really hate being an assassin," Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "I can't stand this life I live."

Clint pointed an accusing finger at her after she spoke. "You see, I think you were partially telling the truth there. You didn't hesitate that time."

The Widow rolled her eyes. "Jeez, I thought you were smart enough to pick up on sarcasm."

"Hey, I know sarcasm. I'm one sarcastic son of a bitch," Clint said. "I know it's often used as a defense mechanism to hide the truth."

"You're one insane assassin," She commented, still finding him unbelievable that he was continuing this conversation.

Clint shrugged, "I'm pretty sure that's the norm for assassins." Leaning forward, arms resting on his now crossed knees, he was about to continue before she suddenly straightened her posture.

Something was off. It was clear that she was holding back, he could see the way her body tensed up. She tried her best to hide it but the next thing she knew, she couldn't control the shiver that ran through her body. She was a trained assassin, she couldn't show any weakness, yet here she was because of a natural body instinct. Shivering from the cold room that wasn't much warmer than the blizzard outside.

Clint felt like an idiot. He had to take off her coat in order to treat her wound, but it was still sitting besides her. He didn't even think to give it back.

She may have been from Russia, but the cold could get to even the best assassin.

Putting their conversation on hold, he picked the fur coat up and draped it over her shoulders. "Sorry," Clint mumbled as he did his best to situate the coat so it wrapped around her core given the hands behind her back.

While doing so, the Widow concealed her confusion. An enemy would want her to feel uncomfortable, that was how they interrogated people. Why was this one helping her feel the opposite? This must have been a trick, try to gain trust before attempting to break her.

It wouldn't work, even if he took off his own coat to cover her exposed legs that sat upon the freezing floor. Though either way, she couldn't help but feel a bit relieved by the newfound warmth.

Clint was still uncomfortable with the temperature, especially after giving up his own coat, but he had enough layers. The fancy dress she was wearing to blend into the mansion wasn't doing any favors against the elements, so she could honestly use the coat more than him.

"What a gentleman," She joked as he sat back down in front of her, hoping to keep some form of conversation going to figure out his plan. If she didn't find out soon, well... It wouldn't matter anyway. Now, she thought of a backup plan. "Giving up your coat while I'm still shackled to the wall. I'm much more comfortable."

"Hey, you're still a deadly assassin who tried to kill me," Clint defended.

"You tried killing me first."

"Good point..." He noted because he couldn't deny the arrow still in her shoulder. "But I'm not trying to kill you now. Want me to go back to the guessing game as to why I'm not trying to?"

She leaned her head back against the wall in annoyance. "Oh god, not again."

"Okay, okay, I'll spare you this time." He put his hands up in defense but kept an unwavering gaze on her. "I see that you have potential. I'm not quite sure what that potential is for, but I have a feeling it's important enough to not be thrown away. Like you were about to."

Clint figured out through all the red flags that she was trying to purposely fail her mission, to end it all. She had come close to getting her wish too, but now that Clint saw her plan, he wasn't going to let her die.

Maybe he was being selfish, not wanting to kill a kid when she clearly wanted him to, but once he saw the truth he just couldn't go through with it.

But she barely responded when he told her his new knowledge, he thought it would initiate at least some form of a response either through speech or body language. He observed her closely, trying to decipher if she was hiding behind her mask of focus again.

No, it wasn't focus this time. Her gaze was drifting, and her face looked almost blank.

That's when Clint noticed her skin. It started to look unnaturally pale, worse than it had been before. Now that he noticed it, he saw her eyelids had grown much more heavy, seeming to weigh her down.

"Shit. You didn't…" He bolted over and whipped off her coat, a smirk on her face the whole time as if amused by his plans being ruined.

Between their conversation, she had managed to move her arm. Enough of a shrug would have been enough to reopen the wound, and with the coat over her injury he wasn't able to see the blood stains starting to soak through the bandages.

She did.

"You jerk!" Clint said as he began reapplying pressure to the wound. "I'm trying to keep you from dying!"

"Yeah right," She slurred as she kept her head leaned against the wall. She was just about to close her eyes in hopes of getting some rest when instead she tensed up, bolting forwards against the shackles as if sensing something.

And just as Clint thought nothing else could go wrong, it did.

Clint was forced to take his attention away from the kid in order to take the bow off his back and knock an arrow at the sound of people scurrying behind him.

It was an ambush team.

She had been distracting him. This was a trap.

Or so he thought, until he noticed the emblem on one of their arms. It was Shield.

He was about to be relieved before he heard one of the team members speak into their earpiece. "We have eyes on Barton and the Black Widow. Executing now."

They were going to complete his mission.

Before thinking, Clint positioned himself in front of the kid on the ground, who was just conscious enough to start weakly tugging at the pole hoping this was her moment to escape, but her injury held her back. Clint did his best to block their path of fire and was ready to attack as he yelled to the officers, "Don't shoot!"

But at least one of them had to. Luckily this agent didn't have the best aim with Clint blocking his path, unluckily the bullet hit Clint in the arm.

He had no time to dwell on it. Grunting through the pain, he fired one of his trick arrows at the agent, causing him to fall backwards as the arrow split in midair. A second later a net was wrapped around that very operative. Before the others could shoot, Clint yelled again. " _Don't. Shoot._ "

His harsh tone was enough to make them pause until he got his com link working again. "Base, this is Barton. Tell them to hold their damn fire!"

The other line was dead for an anxious moment before Clint heard Phil say, "Andros squad, hold your fire."

He sighed, partly from relief but mainly because he knew he was in deep water if Phil was now overseeing this mission.

"You better convince me otherwise, Barton," Coulson threatened. "Fast."

Clint pinched the bridge of his nose and thought about what he was going to say. He came to the conclusion that there was only one thing he could say. "She's a valuable asset."

That was the only consideration Shield would take into account when not killing a code 407 enemy. The kid card wasn't going to work here and this was the one reason that would buy the Black Widow time. He only knew it would work because Phil had done the same for him.

"Now send Evac _now_ or she will bleed out." Clint nearly begged his superior, leaving Phil with no choice but to take Clint's idea into account.

Phil sighed over the earpiece. "A medical team will be there in three. This better be good, Clint. The stakes are unreasonably high for this case."

"I know," He said and turned to face the kid against the wall.

She was barely conscious at this point, only the last of her adrenaline keeping her alert enough to flinch away when Clint keeled closer. For the first time, he saw a clearly visible expression on her face. It wasn't shrouded in lies and strategy, she wasn't thinking straight enough for that. Her expression was one of a kid, one of fear.

The agents nearby would have missed it, her training still hid it well as her struggling seemed to be out of desire to escape. However, Clint was able to clearly see through her veil for the first time since meeting her.

He had to hide his shock in order to keep his features collected. Slowly reaching out, he continued putting pressure on her wound. "I'm not going to let you die," Clint muttered so only she could hear. "I'm only trying to help. Trust me."

At this point, she was running on her fight or flight response, but she could barely do either. He noticed in the scurry she had almost managed to escape from her bonds through picking the lock with a hairpin, but she was still trapped against the pole like a scared animal. Her brain becoming hazy whether she liked it or not, but she was still putting up a fight even if she knew she couldn't win.

He almost missed it when she breathed out one last word, as if processing what he said for the first time. "No..."

Within the next three minutes, Clint did his best to calm her down for the medics. He was successful in helping her sit back properly to keep the wound in check, and she had no other option but to roll with her fleeting conscious. She couldn't go anywhere in her state, and before she drifted off when the medics arrived, she mumbled one last time, "No."

That one word hit too close to home. She really didn't want help, and it reminded Clint too much of his first meeting with Phil. A meeting where he didn't want to accept help either.

Clint didn't know much about this Black Widow, but he knew one thing: He had made the right decision by not killing her.

If she was even a little bit like him, she could still be saved.

* * *

" _Sloppy. Pretending to fail."_

" _You never fail."_

She hoped she could. Just once. She had wanted to fail.

But when she pried her eyes open to see the blinding white walls, she knew she hadn't. She wished she was in hell, not the hell on earth she had come to know so well. The Red Room.

She was back to square one, and she couldn't be more disappointed in herself.

Or at least she thought she was back in the Red Room, until she realized there was someone sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed, staring her down.

It was that hawk guy, the enemy.

They had captured her. _Great_.

She was aware of how he kept a cautious eye while she took in her surroundings, but she chose to ignore him. As she considered options for escape, she saw there was only one exit of a heavy duty door in the corner of the room. However, she quickly realized she couldn't go anywhere due to the fact she was restrained to a hospital bed.

The pain all over her body didn't help her situation either. As she let out a shaky breath, she noticed most of the pain was centered just above her heart.

Now she remembered, that hawk guy shot her. She loved him even more.

She looked down at the arrow wound to her shoulder. Her left arm was currently in a sling that resembled half of a straight jacket as the ends wrapped around her waist and back. They didn't just want her to reopen the injury, if that was the case her uninjured arm wouldn't be shackled to the bed railing.

She tested the strength of their bonds but at the slightest movement, pain surged through her body. She was clearly not given any pain medication, whoever this man worked for, they knew they needed to keep a leash on her. Leaving the pain wouldn't do her any favors when escaping.

Resting her head against the pillow, the red head continued to pay no attention to the man at her feet. She didn't want anything to do with him. He ruined her plans.

But then he spoke. What he asked surprised her.

"How are you feeling?"

She didn't want to look at him, but she couldn't help it. Whenever someone in the Red Room asked her how she was feeling, it was drowned in annoyance she got injured or fake sympathy. This stranger… He was _really_ good at fake sympathy.

She didn't know how to respond, and he seemed to sense her loss for words.

So when she didn't answer for minutes on end, he frowned. "I need an answer if I'm going to help you. If the pain is a lot then I can see what I can do, but you have to answer the question."

"I know you won't give me any morphine. And I'm fine," She almost spat. He was trying to get her to lower her guard, she refused to let him win.

The man stood up, dragging the metal chair across the floor and spinning it around when he was at the right side of her bed. He sat in it backwards with his arms resting on the frame before answering. "Yeah you're probably right, they won't give you morphine. But if you need anything else, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me for a while."

He was still a number of meters away near the far edge of the bed, but she still tried to squirm away and gain an extra inch of distance. She did her best among the straps on her legs and arms, and even though she didn't move much, it made her feel more comfortable to adjust herself in the new position with clenched teeth.

Witnessing her struggle for distance, he kept his. Then they proceeded to not say anything for a long time. The man continued to keep a watchful eye on her as he fiddled with his fingers, but she refused to acknowledge him.

"I can tell you hate me," He seemed to like disturbing the silence. "I foiled your plans, didn't I?"

She almost scoffed but held it in. He didn't know her plans.

...Did he?

He saw her tense up in defense and elaborated. "You know what plans I'm talking about. Your plans to escape. Everything. Permanently."

There was that voice again. That fake tone trying to make her lower her guard. She wasn't going to fall for it.

So she looked away. Honestly aggravated he was bringing this up and even saw through what she had planned.

It was none of his business.

"It may not be any of my business," Somehow being good at reading even the smallest of thoughts. She needed to get herself together. "But I can see you're struggling because I've been in a similar spot before. Many times."

It was too late to prevent the small chuckle that escaped her lips as he compared his life to the life of an assassin he never knew. She couldn't help but find it hilarious. He knew nothing about her. He had no clue what the Red Room did to people.

"Hey, don't dismiss it," He broke a small smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. "How do you think I became an assassin at this prime age of twenty-one? I've already been here a few years and I'm only like, what? Five years older than you? We both had crappy lives if we became _this_ good at our jobs."

"Nice to know we have so much in common," She gave a snarky remark even though it hurt her dry voice.

He seemed to have noticed how she licked the inside of her mouth because he instinctively got up from his seat and walked over to the one other thing in this room, a side table with a plastic pitcher of water. He poured a cup as he continued to speak. "I can tell we have more in common than most," His voice dimmed for a slight moment before, again, lightening the mood. "The sarcasm is my thing, by the way. You're stealing my thunder."

She rolled her eyes as he plopped a straw in the cup and held it up to her lips since her own arms were busy being restrained. He didn't force her to drink it, but he simply held it nearby until she ultimately decided to take a few sips.

She had to hide how enjoyable the water felt. She may of had an IV in he arm to keep her hydrated, but there was just nothing like drinking water. Especially when it felt like she hadn't for a month.

He put the cup back on the table when she was done, assuming his previous position in the chair. He was silent for a moment as if in thought of where he should go next with this conversation. "We've kept you under sedatives for a week," He said and noticed the kid's surprise. He could tell it wasn't surprise from how long she'd been out, like a normal reaction. "I know, a lot of people had the perfect opportunity to kill you. Me, the doctors, the Director… But we didn't."

When she caught on that he expected her to contribute to the conversation, she decide to humor him. "What do you want? A thank you?" She wasn't going to thank whoever they were, that was the last thing she wanted to do. She knew what they wanted, why they kept her alive. Information.

She could withstand torture, she'd done it before. They'd get nothing.

The man replied. "No, I know a 'thank you' is the last thing you want to do after that stunt you pulled, and I'm not going to pretend that we don't want something. Every organization had their motives."

"Then what is it?" She wanted him to stop beating around the bush. This conversation had gone on long enough.

"We want to recruit you."

She raised her eyebrows. That was honestly the last thing she expected would come out of his mouth.

The man knew that she wanted him to elaborate, so he did. "It took a week to convince the Director not to kill you because I think you'd be a valuable member to the team. You have a mad skill set, kid, unlike any I've ever seen. Plus, I can tell you don't like whatever job you currently have with your eagerness to lay down your life."

There was a long moment of hesitance as he debated if he should say something else. Letting out a sigh, he quietly added, "I know the difference between laying down your life for a reason and laying it down because you ran out of reasons."

This game he played was messing with her... Badly. She had barely been listening to what he had said in this whole conversation, only replying with snarky remarks. She didn't know how, but whatever compelled him to say those last few sentences allowed her to open her mind enough to actually process his words, instead of letting them flow in one ear and out the other.

Whoever this Hawkeye was, he was good at his job. He was already breaking down the barriers she had surrounded herself in for years.

"I work for Shield," He continued with his proposition. "An acronym for a long list of terms meaning 'protection agency.' You have these amazing skills and you can put them to better use than just killing. You can use them to protect people."

"But you still kill," The Widow couldn't help but comment as she desperately tried to find the holes in his lies. "You were willing to kill me."

"As a last resort, yes," He defended even though he knew Shield wasn't without shortcomings. "We thought you were dangerous enough that we had to, but then I saw your potential. I believe that you can do better than this."

She didn't want to admit it, but it was a nice thought that someone believed she was more than the assassin the Red Room made her, even if it was the thought of a stranger who knew nothing about her. Yet, she had to admit that it was just that: A nice thought. It wasn't reality.

The Russian let his words sink in. "I'm going to be blunt here. You presently don't have many options on the table. Sure, you can attempt an escape or die trying, but if you succeed then you'll go back to whatever you wanted to escape in the first place. Or, you can refuse our offer and the Director would have no reason to keep you alive. Or... You have a chance at hopefully, something better."

If the man was telling the truth about one thing, it was that her options were few and clear in her current state. It was either die, go back to the Red Room, or try something else.

If she wasn't restrained, she would have punched herself in the head for being an idiot because for the first time, she even considered the possibility of something else. She hadn't been able to do that before.

" _What if I fail?"_

" _You never fail."_

She never failed because they never _let_ her fail. Madame B. never let her fail. She was caught in the endless loop of trying to fail, not being able to, then following new orders just to try again. Even this mission, it would have been the perfect opportunity to fail because this Hawkeye was actually good enough to put up a fight. She could have easily made it look like she didn't fail purposely, but then he decided to spare her. Not letting her fail.

So she was back in the endless loop. The next step was to follow new orders.

But who said those orders had to come from Madame B.?

That was a thought she never thought she'd have. This was the first time she ever experienced the idea. The potential freedom. Freedom not through death.

"It's your choice," The man broke her thoughts. "Only you can decide where to go from here."

She frowned. The thought was nice, but it wasn't logical. She could never be free of what they made her to be. She could never be free from what she had done, the red on her ledger. She was a monster, and nothing could change that.

Besides, she had tried to escape the Red Room years ago and it never worked. They always caught up to her eventually. They always brought her back.

The man had watched her mental battle unfold for minutes on end. Eventually, he asked, "What are you thinking?"

She didn't respond for a long time. She frankly didn't know what to say. Her brain couldn't think of the right words. In all her training, she had never been prepared for this sort of interrogation.

So for once, she told the truth. Something the Red Room taught her to avoid. "They always come for me."

He didn't really know if she'd actually consider the opportunity, but the fact that she said others were holding her back... There was a chance she was willing to try.

"But they're not here. Right now, it's your choice and your choice alone," He said in hopes of getting these people out of the picture. He even let a smile cross his face as he complimented, "Plus, you're a damn good fighter. Are you sure whoever they are can get passed you? Especially with another awesome agent at your side? Aka, me."

She would have broken a smile at his pride if she didn't hold it back. "You give yourself too much credit. If I wasn't injured you would have been dead a week ago."

"But I landed that injury," He pointed an accusing finger at her, finding the flaw in likely true statement. "Not everybody can land a hit on you. Not to mention multiple."

She glared at his smirk, staring him down until he spoke again. "So what's your choice? The Director _does_ want an answer soon."

Looking down at her lap, she considered her few choices. She didn't want to go back if there was a way out, so the question became: Did she want to throw that chance away?

If it didn't work out, she always had her original plan to fall back on. She was being handed an opportunity she'd wanted for years on a silver platter, it was too good to be true. It could be a trap. Did she want to risk it?

She looked back up to study the man in the chair again. He was an agent, he knew how to act genuine by lying through his teeth. He could easily be doing that now.

In her studying, she noticed he was wearing a black t-shirt exposing his arms and the many bandages that littered them. One was across his forearm and had been the knife wound she inflicted. The other, was one she didn't inflict.

Before passing out, they were being surrounded by men who were going to kill her. He stood in their way. He took that bullet for her when she was in no state to survive another injury, and he might have selfish motives but he had still taken that bullet.

Why?

 _"I'm not going to let you die. I'm only trying to help."_

 _"Trust me."_

That statement had been true so far, he hadn't let her die, but was the second half true? Did she want to put even a small bit of trust into this potential opportunity of escaping the Red Room? Did she want to gamble her way into this potential trap?

She just needed to keep her guard up. She'd handled traps before but if there was a sliver of a chance this was real, she might as well give it a try. She may never get another chance and if she was being honest with herself, she had nothing to lose.

She couldn't believe what she was about to say, this could be the worst decision of her life. If she returned, the consequences would be sever, but maybe she wouldn't have to return. There was a small chance and deep down, she wanted to take it.

Her voice was barely audible when she spoke, "If I can get back at you for shooting me… I wouldn't mind sticking around."

She quickly read his expression after saying that and he seemed… Glad. Almost relieved that she made that choice. She couldn't help but be perplexed by this man.

If she got anything out of this decision, maybe she would finally figure out how he ticked. That would be satisfaction enough.

Through his smile he said, "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of chances to get back at me. I'll be the one training and keeping an eye on you."

She would have face palmed her forehead if she wasn't tied down. She didn't want to be around him constantly, she still hated him after all. "Is it too late to change my answer?"

He shrugged, "That's up to you." He had a feeling she wouldn't actually change it, but he knew she had a bone to pick with him for ruining her plans.

But he was okay with that. Proposing this idea to Fury, he knew that if it went through he was bound to have a rocky relationship with her. She would likely be guarded for the rest of her life due to whatever she'd been through. She was trained to live and act certain ways, training her differently would take time and frustration, but he was willing to go through with that.

He could tell, whoever this Black Widow really was, she deserved a second chance.

So he got up from his seat, reaching into his pocket to reveal the keys he stole from the guards earlier. He was incredibly glad he turned off his earpiece going into this conversation because he could basically hear Fury screaming into it.

He wasn't going to break all the rules today, but he'd break enough. He uncuffed her right hand from the shackle and the whole time, he kept watch of her face. He saw a whole range of emotions from confusion, to shock, to debating escape. He even saw her decide against it.

That was all the proof he needed. She was actually willing to give this a try.

Once she was freed from one of her bounds, she didn't start trying to undo her other restraints, much to Clint's surprise. She currently wasn't trying to 'overstay her welcome,' but even if he wanted to trust her, he would have to make sure it stayed that way. Complete trust would still have to be earned on both ends.

For now, Hawkeye extended his arm towards the Black Widow.

"I think it's time for a proper introduction. Hi, I'm Clint. Welcome to Shield."

She was hesitant to actually accept the greeting. She gave her real name to nobody. The only people who used it were those in charge of the Red Room. If she was really going through with this, she didn't want to use the name she had learned meant punishment. Besides, if this was a trap she shouldn't be too quick to trust.

It took her much debate, but she eventually shook his hand in what felt like the first authentic greeting she had in her life. "Natasha."

"Well Natasha," Clint smiled, "Rest up. Trust me when I say you're going to need all your strength to deal with me."

If she believed anything he said that day, it was that. Years later, she still needed all the rest she could get to deal with him.

"But that's the abridged version," Clint whispered as he placed the sleeping child carefully into the crib. "It took longer than a couple conversations before she decided, and it was far from smooth sailing after. There was still a long road ahead of healing, treachery, gaining trust, many fights, and Shield protocol to overcome."

Natasha watched Clint tuck in Nathaniel under the blanket, placing his favorite teddy bear right next to his cheek. "It was a rough ride, but we eventually made it this far," She added.

When Clint stopped gawking at his son and turned back to his friend, they shared the brightest smiles. It was a smile that Natasha only let him see as their past memories meant so much to the both of them.

Especially to Natasha. Clint had stepped up to help her when she was about to throw her life away. Even if it took time for them to get along, it had meant so much to have him by her side through it all. He allowed her to push aside all the wrong she had done to start anew.

Glancing back at Nate, Clint finished their story where they began. "We were never the best of people, your Aunt and I. We both had our issues, our pasts…" He looked back at his tired friend and walked over to where she sat on the floor, holding out a hand to help her up. "But if there's one thing I learned over the years, it's not to judge people on their worst mistakes."

Natasha didn't hesitate to take Clint's hand. He pulled her to her tired feet, still holding on even after she was steady.

While other friends might have hugged, they almost never felt the need to. Simply being in each other's presence was enough to light up the room as they tightly held hands like it was a lifeline.

And while they were both each other's lifeline in different ways, for Natasha, he meant so much more. He had kept her so grounded when she needed it the most, he was the glue that held her breaking body together. Without him, she would have been dead long ago.

As they walked out of the nursery, hand in hand, she was unbelievably glad she had Clint by her side. He was a genuine superhero, and she was glad he didn't let her die when they first met.

She knew that one day, she'd repay the debt she owed him in full. Even if it was the last act she ever did, she would save Clint the way he saved her.

* * *

 **While I tried to keep the tone light as this is a fictional example, suicidal thoughts and even attempts are a very serious and real topic. I have some close friends who've had to battle this form of enemy and thankfully, are currently in a good place because they've had help. Not everyone is going to have a Clint to swoop in and help unannounced, so if you are struggling with this demon I urge you to take the leap and reach out to someone you trust. It's easier said than done, but it's easier to tackle this demon with support.**

 **I'm not a therapist or 'all knowing' at anything, writing is just my way of spreading awareness to these important topics.**

 **On a happier note, after writing this two-parter I realized that I have more ideas for one-shots about Natasha first joining Shield and how she and Clint grow close. Not all of them will fit within this story so I may make a separate fanfiction where I write about their relationship more in depth. If I do, I'll be sure to update you all!:)**


	45. Lucky

"Lucky! Stop it!" The child laughed as the dirt covered dog refused to stop affectionately licking his owner in the abandoned building they called their home for the past month. "Your breath is horrid," Clint coughed as the course tongue licked uncomfortably close to his mouth.

The dog didn't let up until he decided to lay across his new owner's lap instead. Somehow this dog always knew when Clint needed cheering up. After leaving the circus two months ago, he found it hard living on his own, moving from town to town with only the money he earned in his pocket and bow on his back. It didn't help that ever since his run in with the 'tracksuit mafia,' he was forced to temporarily settle down until his new addition recovered.

Clint rubbed the dog he renamed Lucky, carefully scratching behind his ears trying to not disturb the healing injuries. However, the distraction wasn't enough for the one eyed dog to ignore the day old pizza box next to them as he playfully poked it with his nose.

Giving a sad smile as he opened the box, Clint handed the hungry dog the last slice. "I know you're a pizza dog, but I wish I could give you better food. All of our money is going towards your meds," He said as his own stomach growled.

He needed another job and fast. He didn't like being an assassin for hire, but it was the only thing he knew how to do after Swordsman's manipulation. It was the only job that would pay for the dog's medical bills and their own food. He may not have been proud of it, but he owed this dog a debt and was glad to have him at his side. Lucky was a good boy.

Once the dog finished the slice, he pounced on Clint once again, happily licking the boy in gratitude for giving up his meal.

Clint may not have been that child in the warehouse anymore, but he certainly felt like it as he ruffled the new golden furball in front of him. He couldn't help but feel like a kid again as a random dog came running out of the farm's fields for the sole purpose of causing Clint to tumble to the ground, the exact same smile on his face as that night he gave up his dinner.

This dog may not have been Lucky, but it acted exactly like the old friend he remembered.

"That's a good boy," Clint said while picking himself up. Kneeling in the grass, this new dog seemed to melt under the belly rubs Clint gave just as Lucky had. "Who's a good boy? You are."

As the puppy gave a bark of approval from the newfound affection, Clint was so wrapped up in petting this dog that he almost didn't hear Cooper running up to him. "Hey dad! Where did the dog come from?"

Putting a pause on giving the animal attention, much to its displeasure, Clint sat back against his heels. "I don't know," He replied honestly and looked out at the empty fields. He had no idea where this dog came from, there wasn't another house for miles and it was a long travel for a dog alone.

Finally, Clint got a good look of his new friend. The large dog didn't seem to be a stray, he may have been muddy but the grime wasn't staining his fur as if he'd been out long. He must have only been out for a few days at most. "He probably got lost and belongs to someone in town," Clint theorized.

Suddenly, the dog rolled onto his feet and ran towards Cooper. Clint instantly tensed. He didn't actually know if this dog would lash out or bite his son. Fearing the worst, he didn't let his guard down until he saw the animal harmlessly jump up until he got some more pats. Thankfully, the beast only wanted attention.

Cooper giggled. "Are we going to find his owner?" The teen asked as the dog's nose tickled his hand and sniffed him.

"We could ask around town later," Clint nodded in agreement at the idea. "But first we should get him cleaned up."

"In the bathtub?"

Clint laughed, "We better _not_. You know how mom gets when we track mud into the house, who knows what she'll do if a dog does. Let's use the garden hose."

Standing up, the father and son started walking towards the side of the house. The dog was hesitant to follow, a bit confused on where they were going and why they were leaving, but he happily trotted along once Clint turned back and said, "Come on, Lucky."

"Is that the dog's name?" Cooper asked as he reached out to grab the hose. "Lucky?"

Clint smiled as he remembered the name he unconsciously used. "Probably not. He just looks a lot like a dog named Lucky that I had as a kid."

As Clint turned on the water, Cooper handed his father the hose to check the collar himself. With a smirk, he read out, "It says the dog's name is Archer... How convenient."

"Hmm, that name could use some work. I'm sticking with Lucky," Clint said as he started spraying the water upwards so it would fall on the dog like a rain storm instead of attacking him from the harsh water pressure. "Besides he seems to like it. Right, Lucky?"

The dog, now appropriately named according to the archer, waged its tail and gave a little bark. He ran in circles under the water, slowly washing clean from the mud as he shook out his fur coat every minute or two. Since this dog actually seemed to like taking a shower, Clint sprayed the water around in the air and Lucky followed the fake rain wherever it went, tongue sticking out of his mouth as if trying to drink it too.

"Is that a dog I hear barking?" Laura said as she opened the kitchen window to see the two children playing with a strange dog. She couldn't help but notice how familiar the dog looked, reminding her of a pet Clint had during the first few years of their relationship.

"Yes it is," Clint said proudly as if he was showing the animal off. "Do you mind if we bring him in once he's cleaned up? We should probably give him some food and water. We don't know how long he's been without it."

Laura was unprepared to host a dog which could potentially destroy the house, but after much consideration she realized it must not be as bad as housing a whole team of Avengers. "Only when he's _clean_ can he step foot inside, but you're not going to get that dog's feet washed by using that method. You're just making more mud."

Noticing the dog's paws, Clint realized she was right. While his coat had been freed from the mud, his feet were still just as dirty as before. "Hey Coop, do you mind getting a towel for this rascal?"

Immediately, Cooper ran off without a word. He was simply excited that his mom was letting them keep the dog inside under the condition he was clean.

It only took minutes for the dog to be sitting on the tile floor of their kitchen, clean and anticipating a meal. When Clint placed a bowl of water next to the animal and rummaged the fridge for leftover meat, Lila finally came downstairs from all the commotion. "Why is there a dog in here?"

"We found him outside. He seems to be lost." Clint said as he found some bacon and started preparing it for their new friend.

Once Lucky noticed the new arrival, its ears perked up and started bolting towards her without warning. Startled, Lila yelped and ran into another room to escape the savage looking beast.

"Lucky!" Clint scolded the dog for scaring his daughter and Lucky instantly stopped in their tracks to look back at him. "Sit," Clint commanded and thankfully, the dog knew how to obey.

"It's okay Lila," Clint said from the stove, "He's just very excited by new people."

When he didn't hear a response from her, Laura instantly took over Clint's cooking while silently telling him to go check on her. He found Lila in the guest room on the bed, eyes glued to the floor. She kept watch hoping the dog wouldn't be able to reach her up there.

Normally Lila loved animals, but Clint understood why she was a bit freaked out. This dog was almost half her height and when a large animal sprints at a small girl, it was understandable why she was scared.

"You okay, Lila?" Clint asked as he sat on the bed next to his daughter.

"Yeah it's just..." She fumbled through her words while she bit her lip, "He was running at me so fast..."

"It's okay to be scared," Clint justified her reaction as he gently rubbed her back. He could tell she felt embarrassed after being scared by a dog, so he tried to think of a way too help her feel less silly. "You know, Natasha and I used to be scared of dogs too. It wasn't until we met an amazing dog that we became comfortable with them. Sometimes it just takes time."

Lila gave her father a slight smile when she noticed his attempt to comfort her. Even though she saw through his plan, she appreciated hearing that she wasn't the only one who got scared by a simple dog.

However, she still worried about the strange dog in their house. She had never seen it before and didn't know the answer to a simple question, "Do they bite?"

"I don't think so," Clint quickly reassured even if he couldn't say for certain. "He hasn't shown any hostility towards us so I doubt he'll bite. He's very well trained."

When she didn't respond, Clint knew she wasn't completely happy with the slight uncertainty in the air. In response, he hoped to help ease her into facing her fear and prove to her the dog had been nice so far. "If you would like to meet them, I could keep hold of his collar just to be on the safe side."

Lila thought about the proposal, eventually deciding to nervously slide off of the bed. "Okay..." She said, her fear still present but she tried not to let it get the best of her. Clint always admired that about her.

As Lila stayed in the room, Clint walked out to find Lucky in the kitchen anxiously awaiting the food Laura was finishing up. Clint patted his knees, requesting the dog come to him in which Lucky gladly complied if it meant he got more attention.

Petting the dog as he grabbed hold of the collar, he said, "Okay Lila," and waited for the girl to reluctantly poke her head out of the guest bedroom. When she started cautiously walking towards the dog, he excitedly jumped up to meet the new human. Clint yielded him before he could break from his hold and when Clint gave a command to sit, the dog surprisingly obeyed through a wagging tail. Kneeling down to the dog's level, Clint gave a friendly stroke along the dog's back as reward for staying still.

Lila continued to walk closer to the animal, still pausing in her steps as she thought the dog might attack at any moment. When she was close enough to touch him, she stopped.

Clint noticed she didn't want to reach out so he tried to think of a way to convince her. He gave a little smile as he remembered one of her favorite movies. "Hey, do you remember _How To Train Your Dragon_?" When she gave a nod, she knew where he was going with bringing it up. "Just reach out your hand and let Lucky sniff it. He'll be more comfortable in your presence and won't jump at you again."

She didn't want to be afraid of the happy dog in front of her, so she gave the idea a try. Just like the movie, Lila took in a deep breath and slowly extended her hand in front of her. Unlike the movie, she kept a close eye on the dog and as he leaned in close enough to sniff her. She inched her hand back out of nerves but still tried to keep her hand out.

Lucky noticed her flinch and took the hint that she was afraid, so he paused until she held her shaking hand still. He waited until she was ready before sniffing her hand and eventually placing his nose on the back it in a friendly gesture. After a minute of making sure the smiling dog was calm, she knew that he didn't intentionally want to hurt or scare her before.

So she smiled back, reaching out to officially pat his head. Lucky certainly didn't complain since he was getting more affection from this strange family that took him in.

"See? He's a good boy," Clint said and let go of the collar now that Lila didn't need the extra assurance. "He's just like my old dog."

"I didn't know you had a dog," Lila spoke as she keeled down to the dog's level and started petting more than just its head. Lucky in turn got comfortable laying on the floor as if he was getting a massage.

"It was a long time ago," He replied while remembering the days. "When I was a couple years older than you, I was still getting myself into trouble. My dog was named Lucky and he saved my life, but at the cost of getting hit by a car," He explained while trying to be a vague as possible. The kids didn't know about his life after the circus but before Shield, the part of his life he was the least proud of because of all the pointless murders he had committed. When they were old enough, he would come clean but for now, they didn't need to know. "I took him to the vet and they managed to save his life. He was my best friend back then."

Clint could't stop the contagious grin from spreading as he thought about his early days with his dog. Lucky had been at the beginning of it all. The beginning of his new life after the circus, the beginning of Shield, the beginning of his friendship with Natasha, Lucky had been there to help him through the worst and best years of his life. The years when he had lost most of his faith in people after his falling out with Barney and Swordsman.

Clint particularly remembered one day at Shield, within the first few weeks of Clint bringing in Natasha. At that time, Natasha was still healing from the nasty injury caused from her and Clint crossing paths. She wasn't even allowed to leave the secure recovery room until Fury dug up more information on her. Clint kept her company since she was his responsibility, and when he noticed her sleep had been restless after being cooped up, he decided to bring in Lucky to keep her mind off of the enclosed space.

As the three of them sat on her hospital bed, Lucky instantly felt comfortable laying across her lap. Clint had only ever saw Lucky do with two people, himself and Phil. Natasha surprisingly matched the dog's gentle spirit and lightly pet him in rhythmic strokes, getting lost in the movements.

Up to that point Clint wasn't sure if he could really trust this spy, but after seeing Lucky so easily let down his guard he knew he could. He trusted Lucky more than anyone.

"You have a way with animals, Natasha," He praised as she continued to pet the dog without making eye contact.

She was silent for a while, not knowing how to respond to that statement. "They're much better than people," She finally said just for the sake of ending the awkward silence. "I prefer them any day."

Joining Natasha in petting his furry friend, Clint responded, "Look at that, we have another thing in common."

She rolled her eyes as she looked at the dog in front of her. One of Lucky's eyes hadn't opened in the whole time he'd been here, like it was sewn shut from an injury. "What happened to his eye?" She finally let her curiosity show.

After a moment, Clint replied with one word, "People."

They hadn't talked much outside from formalities in these past weeks, so they eventually resumed a comfortable quiet between them. They all had a mutual understanding of each other that day. It was a main turning point for Clint as he was finally able to begin trusting this spy, and he was glad Lucky had been there to help show him that.

A doorbell ringing was enough to hit Clint out of his memory. The dog's ears perked up in interest, but since he didn't want Lila to stop stroking him he stayed put as he watched Clint answer the door.

As soon as he opened it Clint was face to face with his neighbor, Abraham. The kid who was good friends with Cooper and even met the family of deer last summer. Since then he'd met with his family a few times, even having dinner together to catch up, but that had been before Clint's nasty injuries this past winter.

"Hey Abraham," Clint was surprised as he looked around, not seeing his parents in sight. It wasn't a major red flag, he usually biked the few miles to the Barton's house to hang out with Cooper, but usually Cooper would let them know if company was coming. "Are you here to see Coop?"

"Actually... I came to see you, Mr. Barton," He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I wanted to ask if you could help me."

Curious, Clint asked, "With what?"

Abraham was hesitant, as if embarrassed to share why but eventually spilled the can of beans. "Well, you know the forest better than anyone. I'm wondering if you could maybe help me find a dog in it..."

Clint smirked, now knowing who this missing dog belonged to but decided to play along before telling him. "Your family doesn't have a dog. What would a dog be doing in the forest?"

Abraham paused, now nervously scratching his short, curly hair. "Well, we were dog sitting my aunt's dog while she is out of town and I let him outside to go to the bathroom. We don't have fences like the city and I think he ran out into the forest to explore but got lost. If you aren't busy, I was hoping you could help me search..."

Stepping aside and allowing Abraham to come in, Clint interrupted his worried rant, "I think I can help you, but there's no need to go into the woods."

Confused, Abraham raised an eyebrow and was about to ask why until he saw the dog basically falling asleep on the floor from Lila and Cooper's collective pats.

Abraham signed in relief. "Oh thank goodness," He ran over to join them. Clint couldn't help but share a bright smile with Laura at the sight of all the kids. They reminded him so much of himself when he had Lucky. All their worries melting away at the feeling of combing the dog's fur.

And similar to this dog, Clint's Lucky was glad to help in any way possible.

"Archer," Abraham scolded with the dog's actual name despite his relief of holding Archer's face in his hands, "Never run away like that again. Okay?"

The dog seemed to smirk as he rested his head in the embrace. Abraham started scratching under his chin and behind his ears, clearly two of his favorite spots as he started tapping his back foot in joy. "How did you find him?" Abraham turned back to Clint.

"He came running at me from our fields," He explained how he met the dog. "He was friendly enough so we were going to watch him until we found his owner."

"Thank you so much for taking care of him, Mr. Barton," Abraham said with extreme gratitude. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't found him."

"It was my pleasure, really. He's a sweet dog," Clint smiled at the animal on the floor. "Just keep him on a leash next time so he doesn't go running into the forest again."

"Oh yeah," He let out a sigh, not wanting to go through this disaster of worry again. "You can bet I'll be extra careful next time."

Glad he could return this dog to his rightful home, Clint was equally as glad to have had him for a day. Life was so crazy now, sometimes he forgot his roots and the best friend that was buried under the oak tree out back. While some of his past was better off forgotten, there were always a few things he needed to be reminded of. Lucky was one of them.

After all, he had been amazingly lucky to have him.

* * *

 **Special thanks to my good friend Yesi who gave me this idea of Clint meeting a dog reminding him of Lucky! It was super cute to write:D**


	46. Laura's Family Farm

Lila could barely contain herself within the moving vehicle. With the source of her eagerness getting closer as the truck made its slow trek through the muddy driveway, she couldn't resist from rolling down the window and frantically waving at the man who stood in front of the nearby house. "Hi Uncle Matt!"

As she shouted, the Barton's couldn't miss this man and his unique sense of style. From the top of his cowboy hat to the bottom of his snakeskin boots, he fit the old western stereotype to a "T". He stood out in the state of Iowa but after knowing him her whole life, Laura knew that was how he liked it.

Lila was the first to jump out of the truck immediately after it parked, her rain boots already soaked with mud by the time she got to the porch. Cooper was in close pursuit to hug the 'cowboy' they all knew and loved.

"Ehy! There are my favorite niece and nephews!" He smiled and scooped Lila up, the momentum of her run causing him to spin her in the air with a giggle.

"We're your only nephews and niece," Cooper said as he waited for Lila to return to earth before moving in to hug their uncle.

"Yeah I'd hate you guys otherwise," He joked, ruffling the boy's hair to be sure Cooper caught the sarcasm. He wouldn't trade these kids for the world, even if he momentarily took his attention away from them to anxiously await his sister coming up the lot. He couldn't help but smirk when he saw her again for the first time in months. "Long time no see, _Lars_."

She rolled her eyes from her childhood nickname being tossed around. "I missed you too, _Matty_ ," She replied with fake annoyance as she hugged her brother. Neither admitted to how warm it felt to embrace each other like they were kids again.

It was surprising that for once, the Barton's weren't hanging out with their adopted, Avenging relatives. Today, they were back together with Laura's blood relatives, Uncle Matt and Aunt Bethany. Matt was her only sibling who lived a couple towns over from where they currently took root. They would have visited Laura's family more often if there wasn't a three hour drive between them.

Late to the family bonding, Clint closed the truck door with Nate in hand. Even though the one year old hadn't met Matt since the day he was born, the toddler still reached out in hopes of joining the family greeting.

"There's our newest troublemaker!" Matt smiled as Clint let Nate be held by another one of their many uncles. Sitting comfortably in Matt's arms, the kid was curious by the cowboy hat on his head based on the way he tried to grab at it. Noticing his desire, Matt put it on the child's head, even if it was clearly too big when it covered most of the tiny head under the shade. Nate laughed as he examined the headwear, holding onto the brim tightly to keep it from slipping out of his grasp while he repeatedly took it on and off his head.

Clint smiled at the sight of Nate already getting along with the other side of their family before facing Matt. "What, no greeting for me?"

Matt lightly slapped his shoulder. "Nope, not since you stole my sister and made her move out of town," He joked with an almost undetectable amount of seriousness.

"In that case, keep your greeting," The archer smirked.

Acting as if Clint was suddenly invisible, he turned to his sister. "I still don't know what you see in him," Matt lied to Laura. He was just messing with his kid sister because he did know what she saw. Clint was a man out to do good, he was loyal and hand a gentle spirit when you got past his hard exterior and horrible jokes. Even if he approved of this man long ago, it could never stop Matt from being the protective older brother who teased his younger counterpart.

Barely containing her excitement through the adult's small talk, Lila finally had to tug at Matt's shirt to try and politely get his attention.

"How's Penelope?" She interrupted as she couldn't hide her desire to see her favorite part of their farm. She loved seeing Penelope.

"How about you find out?" Matt beamed since it was understandable if she didn't want to take part in the boring adult conversations. "Auntie Beth is round back with her right now."

The instant he said that, her face lit up and she dashed off the porch to run around the whole house in order to find them. Since he didn't even have time to mention that dinner would be ready soon, he turned back to Clint and Laura asking, "Does that kid ever run out of energy?"

"Not when she's here," Laura laughed. "You know how much she loves this farm."

As the remaining family walked into the house, he casually commented, "Well, then maybe she'll be the new heir of the family property..."

"Not unless you and Bethany have a kid of your own," Laura teased back. She already knew what her brother's answer would be, it had been the same answer he'd given her for years.

"Not likely, we much prefer kids of the goat variety. We love your kids, but that's as far as it's gotten."

Walking into the kitchen where dinner was no doubt cooking based on the heavenly aromas filling the room, they took a few minutes to catch up while Matt played hide and seek with the hat atop Nathaniel's head. As much as he would have liked to continue making the kid laugh, he had to tend to the stew on the stove so he passed the child back to the rightful father. Since this was also the house Laura grew up in, she knew where everything was like the back of her hand and instinctively started helping gather ingredients to help her brother finish preparing the meal. Cooking with him was her favorite way to spend quality time together.

Unlike Matt's love for cooking, Clint could barely make toast without burning it in the toaster, so he opted to greet Aunt Beth round back. Laura deserved to spend some quality time with her brother alone, so Clint had Cooper follow him out.

Laura's brother owned acres of farm land, some of it for corn this season while the rest were for cattle and other animals. If they didn't know where to look, they could have spent hours searching the property for them, but fortunately they knew Lila's favorite spot: The chicken coop behind the barn.

Holding Nathaniel and his new cowboy hat, Cooper unlatched the fence to the coop. Even though it resembled a large cage, it was far from a cramped home. The metal fencing was around a large field giving them plenty of space to roam, and the netting across the top protected the chickens from hawks and other predators in the area. It was a contained coop, yet gave the many birds plenty of freedom and safety.

Lila was with Aunt Beth in the far corner of the pen, surrounded by a brood of chickens. Some of the hens kept their distance from the crouching humans while others started eating the feed Lila held in her extended arm. The one chicken that didn't hesitate to get Lila's attention or peck at her palm was Penelope, her favorite hen of the bunch. However, a new crowd was just as eager to join the girl as Clint noticed some newborn chicks bounding around her to try and get feed of their own.

"Wow," He smiled as he kept his distance from the herd so he didn't scare Nate by the new creatures. "Six chicks? Penelope was busy this spring."

Beth smiled as she looked up at Clint. "Well, we had to get some new stock. Some of the others are sadly getting old. They're starting to remind me of you..." She grinned and placed the rest of the feed in her hand on the ground. "It's great to see you Clint," She replied while noticing the child occupied under the hat in his arms. Tipping the cowboy hat upwards so she could see Nate's face, she added, "It's good to see you too Nathaniel."

"Hey, what about me?" Cooper smirked as she took off her dirty gloves and gave him a side hug.

"Oh, you know I love you Coop," She beamed. "I could never forget you. There's only one Janice, after all."

She saw Cooper's eyes light up at the name, just as Lila's did nearby. "Is Janice here today?"

"You bet," Aunt Beth replied before rolling up her flannel sleeves to check her watch. "She should appear in a minute or two actually, her schedule says to bring in the eggs about now."

Just as they were about to continue their conversation, the fence door squeaked open. It was Janice herself with the red, unmistakable bandanna around her head. She didn't even notice the crowd of people in the pen until she looked up from her clipboard halfway to the action. Initially she was startled by the unexpected amount of people in the coop, but when she noticed who they were a grin easily spread across her face in recognition of the family who had visited a few times since she started working with Bethany and Matt.

Ever since Matt and Laura's parents got too old to run the farm, they had to hire extra help since it was much too large for two people to handle. Janice was one of the many and she had grown on the families, basically becoming a part of both since she was one of the few hired helpers who also worked weekends. She spent most of her time on the farm with them anyways, and they were few of the people who were patient with her.

"Hey Janice!" Cooper waved as she made her way over, Lila quickly ditching her favorite chickens to instead join the party with one of her favorite people on the farm.

However, Janice's smile was the brightest out of anyone's. "Oh my gosh! I didn't know you guys were coming over! Did I forget again?" She asked.

Bethany nodded her head in a reply, despite reminding her these past few days. Forgetting details was nothing new though, they were prepared for the possibility she would. "Blame Clint over here, they only let us know they were coming two days ago."

Finding comfort in the fact that it hadn't been something she should have know about weeks in advance, she continued, "In any case, it's great to see you guys again! Especially you two..." She referred to the kids but hesitated as if trying to remember their names, "Cooper and Lila!"

The two both gave Janice a high five for getting it right. "Hey, you didn't mix Lila up with mom's name this time," Cooper praised.

Glad she finally got it right after all this time, she replied with giving out her famous bear hugs to the kids, "It was bound to stick eventually."

Just as she was about to give Clint one too, she almost squealed at the sight of the toddler in his arms. Turning back to the kids, she asked, "Do you guys have a baby brother?! When did this happen?"

The two couldn't help but giggle at her surprise that she forgot this important fact. "He's been our brother for about a year now," Cooper responded.

"A year now!" She said in disbelief and faced Clint and the child. "Have I met him yet?"

When he shook his head she almost instantly handed her clipboard to Beth so she could hold him. Everyone knew she probably wouldn't remember this meeting but either way, it was adorable to watch the boy grab at the strands of curly black hair that escaped her bun from the day's work. As they let Janice goggle over the child amidst a conversation where they told her Nate's name among facts she wouldn't remember, Beth was the one to break up the meeting so she could finish the rest of her duties before dinner.

"Janice," She stated while looking at her to-do's. "How about you finish your list and join us for dinner?"

Handing Nate back to Clint, she quickly said, "Oh no, I couldn't intrude on your family time..."

"Nonsense," Clint interrupted. "You're basically part of the family too, Janice. We'd love to have you stay for dinner," He finished with the support of Lila ad Cooper as they wholeheartedly agreed.

Her hazelnut skin glowed as she responded, "Aw, you guys are so sweet," through her blushes. She looked at her laminated papers with the pattern of her tasks, half mumbling to herself as she said, "I just have to bring in the eggs and water the garden... Then I should be done for the day..." Speaking properly back at the family, she smiled, "I'll see you guys in a bit for dinner then, thank you."

As she started off to the hut where the chicken nests were, Cooper couldn't help but chuckle. "She's going to forget we're here, isn't she?"

Beth nodded knowing that Janice's short term memory only took in bits and pieces. She often forgot how she got places and barely knew the time of day without her routine of daily tasks, but she often joined the family for dinner anyways so she would likely be pleasantly surprised again by the Barton's staying for dinner. "Maybe you two could go give her a hand."

Gladly taking her up on the offer, the two ran after Janice to hang out with her. Clint couldn't stop himself from jokingly ask, "Has Janice moved in yet?"

Stuffing her gloves in her back pocket and taking out a handkerchief to wipe her brow from the sweat of the day, Bethany laughed. "Actually, almost. The idea has been up in the air for a while since she's been super frustrated living on her own lately. Ever since the brain tumor removal," She referred to the surgery that happened years ago but was clearly still affecting her every day life through the short term memory loss she gained from the procedure, "We think it'll be a lot easier on her if she had people around to remind her of her doctor's appointments. Plus, we have plenty of room, even with Gram and Gramps."

Nodding as they made their way to the house, Clint agreed that it was probably a good idea. He couldn't even fathom how difficult it would be to live on her own when she couldn't remember what she was doing with every other second. However, he couldn't help but change the subject out of curiosity from what she mentioned. "Speaking of Gram and Gramps," He started, "Where did they disappear to? They're usually the first ones to answer the door." Clint knew Laura's parents still lived on the farm even if they were too old to work on it.

"They headed into town to get a few ingredients for the meal," She responded as she took off her wide brimmed hat to reveal her short, golden hair and dab the rest of her sweat away with her handkerchief. "Don't worry," She smiled, "They're still kicking. I don't think they'll ever stop."

"You're right, they're way too stubborn," Clint laughed as he opened the back door of the house for her.

"Almost as stubborn as you," Beth smirked as they left their dirty shoes on the mat and made it to the kitchen. "How's dinner coming, honey?"

"Horrible," He replied with a fake sigh, "Lars can't cook even if her life depended on it."

"Hey!" Laura complained next to him before hitting him in the shoulder with the stew spoon. "I must have had a horrible teacher," She mocked since Matt had been the one who taught her most of her cooking skills.

"Ouch," Her brother replied before continuing, "This family is out to get each other, you guys have only been here for what? Five minutes and we're already starting fights."

"That's the curse of this family," An elderly man's voice was heard as he walked into the room with his wife besides her, cane in hand to help him walk. It was Lilian and Joseph, AKA Gram and Gramps, as they requested everyone in their family call them. With the exception of Laura and Matt, of course.

"Mum, Dad," Laura beamed as she went to hug her parents. "It's so good to see you again."

"Oh, it hasn't been that long," Gram smiled as she referred to the many times they drove out themselves to see the Barton's in this past year. While Matt and Beth were constantly working the farm and never had a day off, Gram and Gramps were now retired and often took road trips together to see the sights and their extended family.

Handing Laura a grocery bag now that she saw her on kitchen duty, she replied, "Here's the rest of the ingredients for dessert. The apple crisp will be amazing with you two finishing it up."

"I think you just mean me, Ma," Matt once again teased causing Laura to ready the spoon. Putting his hands up in defense, she decided to let him off easy this time for the sake of their parents being in the room.

"You two never grow up, do you?" Gramps shook his head but still managed to laugh.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted when Clint nearly jumped from a sound behind him. He would have never expected to hear a chicken squawking in the house, let alone turn around to see it sitting on a pillow on the couch. "What the hell?"

"Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you that Sauron is staying in the house," Bethany casually mentioned as if a female chicken named after a fictional evil villain staying in someone's house was normal. "She injured her leg and the other hens were starting to get feisty. We had to move her elsewhere so she could heal properly."

"Jeez, and I thought my side of the family was the weird side," Clint said, only causing chuckles resounding across the room.

"After all these years, Clint, we thought you would have know better," Gramps responded, unaware of the full extent of crazy on Clint's side.

"It's hard to beat this much insanity, you know that," Laura responded to her husband. "Now come over here and we'll give you a much needed cooking lesson."

"Yes ma'am," He rolled his eyes while the grandparents looked after Nathaniel.

Laura and Clint shared a knowing smile as they helped cook the meal together. Both their families were crazy in their own ways, that was for certain. From the adopted Avengers to the keeping chickens inside the house, each one had their own vastly different perks making it hard to rank the two. Laura may have grew up in one and grew into another, but she wouldn't have had it any other way. She was glad to share both amounts of crazy to make her own insane combination with Clint.

At this point, they might as well start a tradition.

* * *

 **I'm back from my unplanned hiatus because for once, my motivation stopped short. I decided to take a break from writing and focus on my summer class, part time job, and catching up with friends but I think I'm ready to get back onto the writing train because sometimes takes a break to reset and make you realize how much you enjoyed something. I did want to write more for this chapter since I had plenty of inspiration after visiting my roommate's family and relatives in the country (this chapter was heavily based off of my experiences there), but since I was stuck on this chapter for over two months with my hiatus, I figured it's better to finish it and start fresh. I'll revisit Laura's side of the family in the future but for now, I think it's finally time to start posting some chapters I've wanted to post for ages...**

 **Stay tuned for an oncoming war...;)**


	47. Nights Unspoken

He almost missed the light chatter from downstairs. It was so quiet that Clint had to lay in bed for a long minute and make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him at two in the morning.

But he came to the same conclusion. It was definitely there.

It was almost a conversation, and the idea that two people broke in was enough for him to stealthily jump out of bed in order to figure out who it was.

Tiptoeing down the steps without a creak, he saw an unusual blue glow bouncing off the dark walls. He sighed in relief when he realized it was only the television and his family wasn't in danger. Peering around the corner, he found Wanda sitting cross legged on the couch, clutching a pillow close to her chest. It was almost like she was curling in on herself as she leaned her chin against the top of the pillow, gazing blankly at the show on the screen.

Unable to sleep himself, Clint made his way over and sat in the recliner nearby. This only startled Wanda slightly because after all the long nights they've helped each other through, she almost expected Clint to appear whenever she couldn't sleep. He always seemed to have the same insomnia problem as her.

They acknowledged each other in a slight smile before both turning their attention to 1985's _MacGyver_ utilizing household items so he could engineer his way out of every sticky situation he faced. Wanda had never seen this show before tonight, but after watching one episode, she enjoyed the way he escaped the bad guys with something as simple as an umbrella. She couldn't help but be reminded of some of her resourceful Avenging friends, including Clint with his homemade trick arrows.

Clint had never seen this show before either. He was never, 'one for watching television,' he only did on family movie nights or when he couldn't fall asleep for the life of him. It was almost mind numbing, allowing him to let go of all the problems racing through his mind and get lost in someone else's story. On these nights, he always managed to find a show similar to this _MacGyver_ , and he didn't mind it.

He didn't even realize he sat in that chair for over an hour until yet another episode ended. Broken from his world as the end credits quietly rolled, he rubbed his eyes and looked back at Wanda for the second time that night.

Clint hadn't even realized she fell asleep, rather unceremoniously as her curled position from earlier just seemed to be tipped onto the arm rest. Her neck was clearly at a strenuous angle and it didn't help that the pillow fell onto the floor.

Prying himself up from the chair after much complaining of his tired limbs, he walked over to where she had fallen asleep. He gently shook her shoulder, despite not wanting to wake her after a clearly long night of stressing about her third field mission tomorrow. It was hard for anyone to adjust to these harsh Shield missions, especially a kid. She was going to need all the rest she could get.

When Clint's shaking caused Wanda to grumble in slight annoyance, she finally shifted her position. However, it wasn't enough to be any more comfortable. Clint picked up the pillow from the floor, carefully sliding it between her and the armrest best he could, but Wanda still wasn't in any better position and wasn't conscious enough to care about fixing it.

Both of them being tired as all hell, Clint didn't stop to be polite and he instinctively did what he had done with either Laura or his own children multiple times before. He carefully lifted her head from its awkward angle on the armrest and instead placed it comfortably on the pillow.

As he did that, Wanda woke up just enough to readjust herself in her haze, not seeming to fully process the interaction as she placed her arm under the new pillow. In unison, she stretched her legs out to fit the long couch more comfortably. Clint couldn't help but smile at the way she hugged the pillow like Lila hugged her favorite stuffed rabbit. In that moment, Wanda seemed so innocent, as if the nightmares of reality hadn't been plaguing her whole life.

It was a refreshing sight to see in a kid who had gone through so many trials.

Grabbing a blanket from a chest nearby, Clint unraveled it and let it flutter to rest on the form of the sleeping girl. Instantly, a smile seemed to cross her face from the new found warmth, hugging the cloth around her just like the pillow underneath.

Tucking in the rest of the blanket so even her bare feet wouldn't get cold, Clint walked right back over to the recliner he sat in before, this time actually reclining it. He was certainly taking a hint from Wanda as he felt a wave of fatigue come closer to him, but it hadn't quite arrived yet. As Clint got lost in the next episode of the show, he too eventually fell asleep to the lull of the light chatter.

As dawn broke, Laura stumbled down the stairs after noticing her husband was missing from their bed. The grin spread across her tired face as she noticed the two in the living room, sleeping peacefully for what seemed like the first time in weeks for both of them.

Finding the remote and turning off the near silent television, she made her way back to bed herself.

She didn't want to ruin their good dreams.

* * *

 **This is probably the shortest chapter I've ever written but hey, it's the calm before the storm...**


	48. Kayla Returns (Civil War Prologue)

" _Are you free later?"_ Kayla asked Laura as they wrapped up their hour long phone conversation. " _I don't want to go another two years without visiting you guys. I need to break that cycle before it becomes a habit."_

Laura smiled as she held the phone to her ear, excited at the thought of seeing her friend in person again. "Well, there's no one here for you to barge in on, so I'll just double check with Clint. Hold on…"

Walking over to the kitchen where her husband was currently washing the dishes, she asked, "Hey honey? Kayla wants to stop by later, are you good with that?"

He continued to dry the plate in his hand. "Of course I am, I'd love to see her again," He replied without turning his attention away from his task.

Glad that there weren't any Avengers coming over he forgot to mention, Laura put the phone back to her ear. "You're in the clear, Kay."

" _Awesome, see you in a few hours?"_ Kayla asked.

"See you then," Laura confirmed among their goodbyes.

But it wasn't long before they were once again saying their hellos later that day. The two friends seemed to pick up their phone conversation from earlier with the added bonus of Clint joining them in the living room.

Though Clint had become an honorary member of their friendship circle, he hadn't been around for a majority of their relationship. Kayla was Laura's closest friend, they've known each other since kindergarten and have surprisingly remained friends to this day. They stuck with each other through the cringe of middle school puberty, through the drama of high school, the drastic change of college, and even through Laura's marriage and pregnancies. Even if they hadn't been able to meet up for a recent two year stretch, they never lost contact. These past years had been sporadic for Kayla since she had to travel back and forth between her life in America and her family's medical emergencies in Costa Rica, but now that she had down time she was glad to meet up with her friend again.

As the three of them sat on the couches drinking afternoon coffee and tea, they simply caught up on town gossip and hilarious stories from the past two years. Clint and Kayla especially bonded over their stories embarrassing Laura since neither had a shortage.

After their laughter died down from a recent story, Kayla sipped her herbal tea and completely changed the direction of the conversation. "Now I love seeing you guys, but there was another reason I wanted to stop by today."

Laura hadn't heard that tone in years. Her features hardened at the fact that Kayla only used it when she had to discuss a serious topic. "What's wrong? Is everything okay, Kay?" There was a brief pause before a thought slapped Laura in the face enough to make her eyes widen. "Is your family okay?" She quickly asked, hoping nothing was wrong with her relatives in Costa Rica.

Kayla took the cup away from her lips, instantly waving away the idea as she swallowed the warm tea. "Oh! Yeah, don't worry. Everything is fine on my end," She convinced them before looking at the cup in her hand, making sure she didn't spill any tea in her scurry. "I just wanted to ask a question, and it's about your end of the family if anything. Actually, I guess it's aimed more at Clint's."

Not liking the fact she had a question about his family, he remained calm and started retrieving the past lies from the back of his mind. "What did you want to ask?" He said, hoping it wouldn't go so deep into personals that he'd have to make up more.

She took a moment to look at the tea in her lap and slowly took another sip, as if stalling from asking what was on her mind. Eventually, she did have to let it out. She could never hold her curiosity back. "You remember when I visited you guys last, I met Wanda and Sam?"

"Yeah, how could I forget the time you barged in on our company," He lightly teased, trying to ease the tension that seemed to grow within the room.

His attempt didn't seem to work as she gave a nervous laugh, "Yeah, I'm still sorry about that by the way. But I wanted to ask about Wanda..."

Trying to hid his nerves about the many directions this conversation could lead into, he took a swig of his own black coffee while she continued. "I just wanted to know if she was doing okay. You know, after the whole Sokovian incident. Is her family getting back on their feet?"

Clint's tension eased since he could just piggy back on the lies already set in place from her last visit, but it still unnerved him that they were talking about Wanda. It had been a close call when Kayla surprised them with a visit while three of the Avengers were over, they barely managed to hide Steve in the barn that day, Sam and Wanda not being as lucky. It was a miracle the two were relatively unknown to the media otherwise she could have discovered the truth about his life with the Avengers.

"Yeah, Wanda's doing much better actually," Clint started, sticking with truths except for when it came to her family. "The whole event shook her up but she's strong. She's healing and I think she's finally getting back on her feet. Her family is too, the recovery efforts in Sokovia are coming about nicely and should be completed in the next few months."

"Good... That's good, I was hoping she was doing okay. She seemed like a nice kid…" She drifted as she stared down at the liquid in her mug, a tense silence filling the air. There was something else on her mind, Clint could tell, but she was clearly debating if she should ask about it.

After a minute, she seemed to make up her mind. "I also wanted to learn more about your relationship with her. She's your niece, right? How did it end up that she's Sokovian when you clearly aren't?"

Clint made up a lie on the spot, thankfully pulling it off easily based on his years of Shield training. "You know about my brother Barney, right? He met a woman from Sokovia, she was an exchange student at his college. They got into a close relationship and when they got married after graduation, he decided to live with her in Sokovia."

Nodding as she bought the lie, she continued with her questions. "Does that mean Wanda has the same last name as you or is it different?"

"Different," Clint replied but instantly didn't like the question she asked. There was something off. It was oddly specific, and he didn't like the continued talk about Wanda in fear of her not buying into the lies and partial truths. "They decided to keep her family name because it meant a lot to her."

She hesitated before putting the final uneasy nail in the coffin. "Is her last name Maximoff, by any chance?"

Clint would have choked on his coffee if he hadn't had years of training to suppress his feeling of surprise. Laura couldn't help but raise her eyebrows but even she did her best to keep cool.

 _She wasn't supposed to know that name. How the hell did she know that name?_

Kayla must have read their reactions as confusion because she quickly stumbled through an explanation. "I don't know, it's probably not her. I just saw someone on the news this morning named Wanda Maximoff and I couldn't help but notice that she looked a lot like your niece. I mean, they could be completely different people but I just... I had to double check with you. It's been nagging at me all day."

Clint shared a glance with Laura and they silently debated on what to do. They already discussed the possibility of Kayla finding out the truth after she met Sam and Wanda. They had a feeling that if Wanda ever got news coverage from joining the Avengers... It would only be a matter of time. They couldn't pretend forever that this new superhero without a mask didn't look like or have the same first name as Clint's 'niece.'

Laura also knew she didn't want to lose her lifelong friend because of continued deceit.

However, this wasn't a matter to be taken lightly. There were a lot of factors to consider. Telling Kayla the truth might end up putting the family in more danger if she accidentally spilled the beans, yet on the other end of the spectrum, they knew that piling up too many lies were just as dangerous if she stopped believing them and did her own digging. Either situation could get their family hurt, so at this moment they had to make their best guess of which route to take.

Laura gave Clint a silent nod, seeming to make the decision since she knew her friend the best. Clint understood what course of action to take without words.

Before he faced Kayla, Clint took a another gulp of his coffee. He never liked doing what he was about to, but he knew he must. Taking a deep breath, Clint spoke. "There is a crap load of responsibility that comes with knowing the truth, and if you really want to know it, you have to be prepared to take on the full extent of that responsibility. If you can't do that, you need to let your curiosity go now."

Kayla's eyes widened as Clint made it sound like this was a life or death situation. Before he could continue, she glanced back and forth between the two on the couch. "Um, I'm sorry but what the hell does that even mean? Are you guys in serious trouble with the law or something? What the heck is going on?"

Laura tried to ease her friend's worry and many questions. "Kayla, everything is fine, trust us. Clint is just being a little over dramatic," She said and elbowed her husband in the side to tell him to tone down his serious Shield mode.

"Sorry," Clint apologized and put his cup on the coffee table, trying to continue in a more lighthearted tone. "We don't mean to scare you but no matter how I phrase it, this is a pretty serious matter."

Laura finished his train of thought for him. "We just want to let you know what you're getting into before you get too deep into it."

"I've never seen you both so serious..." Kayla couldn't help but mention as she shifted in her seat. "All this because of Wanda? Is your niece the same Avenger on the news?"

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Kay," Laura told her to get back on topic.

"We need to be sure that you are willing to accept a lot of responsibility," Clint continued. "If you don't think you can keep a bunch of secrets, then you need to drop all questions regarding Wanda. This is very important to keep us all safe."

Kayla couldn't lie that her heart was nearly beating out of her chest from the uneasy feeling she got by this conversation. She'd never had a talk like this with either Clint or Laura, let alone both at once. "I'd be getting into some crazy crap, wouldn't I?"

Laura gave a light smile to try and calm her even if her words were confirming her worries. "Something like that."

"Well, shit then," She mumbled and put her own tea on the table. She seemed to space out for a moment as she looked at the cup, trying to decide on what to do based on the weird and vague information given to her. She couldn't prevent more swears from slipping through her lips as she replied, "I can only assume I'm right on the money and in over my head already. My questions will be nagging at me for the rest of eternity if I don't get some straight answers, so whatever these secrets actually are... I'm willing to keep them if they're so important to you."

"Are you positive?" Clint had to crosscheck, just to be sure she was ready to handle the truth.

If she was being honest, she wasn't sure. She had a pit in her stomach from this whole situation, but she also knew that she wanted to ensure the Bartons were really as okay as they insisted. Putting on a smile through her nerves, she joked, "Not if you keep asking me. Now get down to business before I change my mind."

Clint and Laura shared a stare, making sure they wanted to go through with this. Even if they could turn back now, they both knew they wouldn't. It wasn't easy to reveal the secrets they built for years, any number of things could go wrong from telling just one more person, but Laura trusted Kayla more than anyone. Clint was willing to trust his wife's instincts.

Hesitating, he revealed the first of many secrets. "Wanda's last name _is_ Maximoff. I missed the news this morning but if you heard something about her and the Avengers, your ears wouldn't be deceiving you."

However, Clint didn't receive the reaction he expected. Instead of having pride that she guessed right, she had an expression of worry. "If you missed the news... You might want to catch up on what you missed. If you say they are the same Wanda, there was a situation in Lagos, Nigeria and she's taking a lot of heat right now."

"Wait, what?" Clint nearly jumped out of his seat, Laura grabbing his arm as if reminding him to keep his composure. Before he could even ask any of the sudden questions running through his mind, he focused on the hand grounding him and took a couple deep breaths. His heart still racing, he asked as calmly as his panic would allow, "What happened?"

Kayla readjusted herself in her chair. "From what the news said, an Avenger's mission went sour. Eleven people died in an explosion that Wanda tried to contain but couldn't. She's taking a great media hit. A lot of people are blaming her for the deaths."

 _Crap_.

Clint ran his fingers through his hair while Laura placed a comforting hand on his knee. Returning the gesture because he knew Laura was just as worried about the teen as he was, he held her hand tight as they continued to discuss this matter. Wanda had just started going on missions and the media was already attacking her? This kid was forced to grow up much too fast, he wished life would just give her one break.

Before Clint could ask too many questions, he could tell Kayla started believing the crazy news they told her after witnessing their reaction. As the truth sank in, she was hit with her own questions and realizations to the point of disbelief. "Wait... I completely didn't put two and two together until now. If the Wanda on the news is the same one you know, that means your niece has all those powers?"

Clint nodded, reluctantly deciding to put his own worries on hold for the sake of having dropped a huge bombshell onto Kayla moments ago. Right now, he knew she deserved some answers. Although he wanted to call Wanda immediately and make sure she was okay, there wasn't much he could do. She was likely still being debriefed from their mission and therefore unreachable. "Yeah, she's a special kid," He simply replied.

"And that means she's working with the Avengers?" She asked, eyebrows raising even higher than she continued to connect the dots. "Do you know them too?"

"Yes to both."

"Dang," She mumbled to herself as she remembered meeting Wanda a few months ago. "I was in the presence of a teenage Avenger and didn't even know it... Wait, that Sam guy I met too. Is he also famous?"

"He's also an Avenger," Clint answered her many questions. At least it kept his mind occupied so he focused his attention on that instead of worrying about the young Avenger.

She looked at her two friends for a moment. "This is way too crazy to be true. You guys must be messing with me," She mumbled but their serious faces only proved her wrong.

"There's a lot you don't know," Laura breathed out. Even though she had faith in her best friend to protect them, she was worried about how she would react after discovering the past fifteen years of their friendship had been scattered with lies. She tried not to think of the possibility that their friendship could drift apart as she continued, "This is barely scratching the surface."

"And before we get too in depth here," Clint started, "I have to warn you of the risks that come with having any knowledge about the Avengers. You have to understand that the more we tell you, the more we are _all_ at risk. Especially the kids. Any involvement with the Avengers is a risky game since they deal with dangerous criminals on the daily. If you so much as drop a sarcastic joke that we know anything about the Avengers, someone is always out there to overhear it. I don't want to explain the danger you put yourself and this family in if a criminal decides to investigate us. You can't discuss this conversation to anyone outside of this room."

Kayla nodded. She wasn't even sure if she fully believed what they had been saying, it all seemed quite fantastical even if she really wanted it to be true, but the fact that they were consistently serious... She was willing to bet this wasn't an elaborate prank. Besides, it shouldn't have been that hard to believe because it would explain a lot of the Barton's weird habits these past fifteen years.

"I know how close you are to your family, but you can't even tell them," Laura added.

Kayla waved her hand. "You don't have to worry about them, I'm pretty sure my relatives don't even know the Avengers exist. They're old fashioned." She explained to let them know she could be trusted. "Your secrets will be safe with me, I promise. This lifelong friendship with Laura isn't about to be broken if I can prevent it."

That made Laura share a smile with her. It was enough to alleviate her stress about losing a friend. She knew Kayla would be here no matter what she was told.

"It's still hard to believe you're related to an Avenger, though," She said to Clint.

"Actually, Wanda isn't my niece," He came clean. "We aren't related."

"You're kidding? Oh, you're one good liar, Clint." She almost congratulated him as a joke to lighten the mood. "I was already believing that story you made up earlier. What else have you been lying about for all these years?"

He knew she was asking rhetorically, but he also knew she would find this next fact out sooner or later. He was hesitant, but he spilled the beans. "My job. I lied about being a pilot. That's not what I do for a living."

"Seriously?" Her mouth gaped open. That was one fact she didn't even think about questioning. "What the _hell_ do you do then?"

He paused. "You know the organization that fell a few years ago? Shield? Before it did I was an agent working for them."

Clint didn't even think it was humanly possible for her jaw to drop any lower than it did a minute ago. "Wait… _What_? You're telling me that you were a _spy_? Laura, why the hell would you marry a spy?"

Laura couldn't help but chuckle at her friend. "What can I say, he's a sweet spy."

It took her a moment to recover from that news, but Kayla soon asked, "What do you do now that it fell? You're clearly still going somewhere since you're still 'at work' whenever Laura and I talk on the phone."

This was the question Clint had been waiting for, but not excited to share in the slightest. He was going to hate every awkward minute of the questions following. "I work with the Avengers."

Clint could literally see her shut down, unable to process anything else as she simply stared at him with wide eyes. He really thought he broke her since she didn't move for at least a minute, unable to look away from him as she tried to make sense of the information overload.

He seemed to face her blank gaze forever until she finally spoke. "So, wait wait wait. Hold on… When you say you 'work with the Avengers,' does that mean you _are_ an Avenger or you just work _with_ them, like a man in the chair?"

Clint spit out the four words that made him feel like he was about to spread a plague. "I am an Avenger."

Despite not fully processing all these details, she quickly asked, "Which one?" At this point in their conversation, she was simply accepting whatever was being thrown at her. She was in awe that her best friend's husband revealed himself to be an actual Avenger, but now that she was aware of this, she couldn't stop her mind from racing through all the possible superheroes he could have been. However, aside from Captain America and Iron Man, the others weren't publicized enough for her to make an accurate guess.

Clint opened his mouth to unwillingly share his secret identity, but was interrupted by a voice behind him. "What are you guys doing?" Cooper asked with Lila sitting beside him on the steps. They had overheard the past minute of conversation and to say the least, they were confused as to why their parents were spilling all the secrets they told them to protect with their lives.

Motioning the kids over, he waited until they sat on the couch next to him before he started his explanation. "Well, we've decided to let Auntie Kay in on our real life."

"But you always said doing that was dangerous," Lila worried. She understood why her father would tell the superheroes he worked with his secrets, but she had never seen him spill it to people outside of that group. She didn't want anything bad to happen because of it.

"It is," Clint was blunt. "But she and your mom had been friends their whole life meaning they know each other almost too well. Auntie Kay is smart. She was starting to put the pieces together after meeting Wanda, so sometimes it's safer to tell the truth instead of hiding it."

Kayla piped in. "Wow, Clint calling me smart. Take note kids, that's one for the history books," She smirked, making the kids smile to sooth their nerves. She would be lying if she said it wasn't to sooth her own as well. She had made a choice between ignorance or this crazy truth that might get her killed, but even if she had to choose again, she'd make the same decision. Her best friend's husband, a man she had known for years, was an official Avenger. Her life seemed so boring an hour ago. "Now before the kids interrupted, you were going to answer my question. Which Avenger are you, _Clint_?"

The kids smiled deviously before looking to their dad for approval. He gladly handed them the mantle and they shouted in unison, "Hawkeye!"

Instead of being shocked like before, all confusion seemed to melt away and for the first time that day she was truly at ease. All the pieces about this unique family seemed to fall into place, everything she questioned throughout the years clicking. A gap that had been in front of her and Laura's relationship finally had a bridge, and she couldn't help but grin because she felt like this would begin a whole new chapter in their friendship. A chapter that was long overdue.

The whole family felt the release of tension and it was enough for even the kids to relax as Kayla said, "Now your strange obsession with archery makes so much more sense…"

* * *

 **This is the official start of the Civil War era in my story!:D Since this series follows Clint and his family, Civil War will basically be told in Clint's point of view. However, it won't be a retelling of the movie because I know we've all rewatched it a hundred times. Instead, it will be the story of what Clint goes through off screen as the movie progresses (since he never gets enough screen timeXD). From making his retirement decision to his adventures of imprisonment, this is a story revolving around the Barton's and how their relationships grow and change throughout this high stress situation.**

 **But for this prologue chapter, I hope it fulfills sofiarose613's desire of wanting someone to discover the Barton's secret life! I really liked your idea about Sheriff Jim discovering their secrets too, but sadly I know the perfect spot for it and it won't be until after the war. Until then, I've decided to let Kayla discover Clint's identity:) Thanks for the request!**

 **Also, I completely rewrote the dialogue in _Chapter 21: An Unexpected Visit_ where Kayla first made an appearance. I didn't really add any new info, I just made the chapter flow a lot better. Just thought I'd let you all know.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy the war as much as I enjoy writing it!:D**


	49. Calling Wanda (Civil War)

**Rated T:** **Details of a depressive** **relapse**

* * *

This was sadly a familiar situation for Wanda. She knew this position all too well after her parents died. And again when her brother passed. Now, it returned. She sat on the edge of her bed for hours each day, lost in thought as she looked out her bedroom window at the Avenger's facility grounds. She watched as moths flew around the lamps illuminating the rural property until the gates were seen in the distance, but she could see no further into the dead of night. Even if her eyes were glued to the moths hitting their heads outside, she wasn't focused on it. All of her attention was on the incident in Lagos.

But thankfully, her thoughts were broken by the vibration of her cell phone. As each hour passed, it never failed to provide temporary relief when someone tried to contact her. That someone being Clint.

For a long minute, she closed her eyes. She focused on the vibration to distract her from the numbness for just a minute until it finally went to voicemail for the thirty-seventh time. However, only silence followed because Clint stopped leaving a message after the tenth attempt.

He was persistent, she'd give him that. The archer even contacted Steve to try convincing her to pick up next time, but of course she hadn't. Wanda wasn't in a talking mood after her mistake got eleven people killed.

But for the first time in the past four days, her mind drifted away from the disaster and instead to a late night conversation she had with Clint months ago. In that conversation he warned her that mistakes happened while on the job and sometimes innocent people would suffer the consequences. He said that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't save everybody, and he informed her that joining their Avenging ranks would mean she was bound to experience that accountability first hand.

She had accepted that risk, but she didn't know how it actually felt to walk with the immense guilt on her shoulders from a direct mistake she made. She didn't think she'd have to experience it so soon either. She was still healing from Sokovia, she thought she'd at least be more stable when the time came.

Wanda let out a sigh. Falling backwards onto the bed, she rested her head on top of the wrinkled sheets and looked blankly at the ceiling.

Maybe she _should_ talk to Clint. She wasn't getting anywhere by sitting in this room feeling like trash. He always knew how to help her through a rough night after so many insomnia induced conversations together. She may not have been in a talking mood, but she knew Clint would convince her to try. Deep down, she knew it would help even if she didn't want to admit it.

The only thing she would admit was she was sick of her constantly churning stomach.

Besides, the archer was going to keep pestering her every night until she responded.

But it was easier said than done. For a whole hour, she tried to control her racing nerves, taking deep breaths to focus on what she would say after ignoring his calls for this long. When she once again felt the phone's vibrations through the bed, Wanda wasn't any more prepared to reply.

Heart pounding out of her chest, she picked up the phone. She looked at Clint's name on the screen, letting the phone ring in her hand a few times as she debated backing out. Before she could commit to the appealing option, her finger instinctively pressed the 'answer' button.

There were no hellos, just silence. It was as if Clint didn't know she was on the line after so many unsuccessful attempts, but he was there. He was waiting for her to break the ice but after nearly a minute, he caught on to her loss for words. Instead he started for her. _"How are you holding up?"_

That was all he asked. She knew he would ask it, but she still didn't know how to answer even after an hour of trying to find one.

So she quietly told the truth. "I don't know."

She could almost see his nod of understanding as he proceeded to ask, _"What's on your mind then?_ "

It was basically the same question, just in different words. He hoped it would turn the gears in her brain just enough to say something definite he could latch onto.

"There's just... A lot..." Wanda said as she closed her eyes, trying to sort her jumbled thoughts and explain her hazy mind in some way. She fought back tears as she remembered the explosion ringing in her ears as clearly as day. It sounded just like the one that leveled her family's apartment building...

She took in a shaky breath after quickly pushing the thought aside. "There's nothing I can do to bring those people back," She started, "And I know exactly what their families have to go through because of me."

Clint was silent as he leaned back against his chair on the other end of the line. Looking at his desk full of family photos, his eyes rested specifically on a selfie Wanda took of them. Remembering that first time he took her to see the deer family, he chose his next words carefully. " _No one is ever prepared for the responsibility of failing when lives are at stake,"_ He stated rather bluntly before beginning to ease the blow, " _But there's only so much a policeman can do. A firefighter can do. A doctor can do. And that same rule applies to an Avenger."_

He let his words sink in, releasing a breath of his own as he turned slightly in his swivel chair behind the closed door of his home office. " _The job still gets to me too._ _It happens to all of us, and it's okay to feel the weight sometimes. Just... Don't dwell on it for too long. Know when it's time to move on so you can save even more lives that would have died without you. There's a worse kind of guilt that can come if you aren't at the top of your game because you're stuck in the past. I don't want you to regret future actions because you thought about the 'what ifs.'"_

Wanda wiped a tear off her temple as she rolled onto her side, holding the phone close. "Thanks for not saying, 'this wasn't my fault,' Clint." She replied and held her knees close to her chest. She knew it was _her_ aim that was off, _her_ split second error that caused Rumlow to spiral into the building. Even if she realized deep down that it was ultimately his fault to put them in that situation in the first place, she still knew she was partly to blame for the turnout. She still felt the weight made it hard to breathe.

 _"Yeah, well, I figured you've heard enough of that,"_ Clint said as he could almost hear the speech from the Star-Spangled man after he had given it to the archer many times. Being the leader he always wanted to take responsibility, but when Clint knew he was also to blame, it felt wrong to just hand him all of it. He didn't like it when people told him it wasn't guilt he could carry and he knew Wanda was the same in that regard. _"Steve means well but at times like these I know how his 'words of wisdom' can give you the urge to slap him across the face. He just doesn't want the whole team to feel the weight he carries too_."

"Yeah, but it's not really something he can physically take away," She sighed. "Especially when the reporters are adamant about putting the blame on someone else."

While barricading herself in her room for the past few days, there was only one other thing she did: Watch the news. Every news report from around the world put her to blame for the deaths. They barely paid attention to the fact Rumlow even existed and was the villain of this story, they only saw her miscalculation.

Clint hadn't been oblivious to this fact either, he had watched so many news reports it gave him a migraine. He was furious at the fact that they all blamed Wanda, and he was furious that this very public mistake was going to do nothing to help her heal. When the media latched onto a mistake, they never let it go. It would forever be cemented into a negative reflection of her abilities, always resurfacing in public arguments. Clint was lucky he managed to escape being singled out in similar mistakes, otherwise it would have put his whole family in danger.

" _The media is going to attack you with this mistake for weeks,"_ Clint stated but decided to give her some hope amidst the truth, " _But it will die down. Drama never lasts long, there's always another person they will suck the life out of."_ After saying that, he couldn't help but add in a quieter tone, _"Don't let them suck the life out of you, they don't know all the facts. They don't know you."_

"That's harder than you think..." She drifted, knowing the leeches were already getting to her. The hatred was difficult to ignore.

 _"Well, watching every single news channel won't help you,"_ He said, knowing she had been doing that without her outright saying it. " _I'm serious, I'll call up Tony and have him shut off the television signal at the facility. If you're not careful, I'll have him shut off the wifi too,"_ He added, deciding to lightly joke and ease the natural tension of the topics they had been discussing.

Wanda decided to play along in hopes that it would make her feel better. "No, not the wifi," She pretended to complain, "Anything but the wifi. How will a millennial like me survive?"

He smiled, " _Well, you can stop by for a visit. If you're forced to go a few days without internet connection, might as well have some wild company."_

It seemed like such a foreign concept but for the first time in four days, Wanda smiled. She had forgotten what it felt like to genuinely smile.

Sitting upright on her bed, she leaned her back against the headboard. Rubbing away any remaining wetness on her cheeks, she gladly replied, "I might just take you up on that offer."

 _"It doesn't have to be right this minute,"_ He added to let her know there was no pressure to come over right away, " _B_ _ut when you're ready, you know how to reach me."_

"Thanks Clint," She replied and they began to say their goodbyes for now. Even after they hung up, she held the phone close to her ear for an extended moment before putting it on her nightstand.

His talks never failed to help her feel strong again.

Turning off her lamp, she got under her covers in hopes of finally catching up on the sleep she was lacking after these rough couple of days. As she closed her eyes, she knew that even if she wouldn't feel one hundred percent tonight or on nights to come, she knew she would be alright.

* * *

 **In this Civil War era, there will be a lot more rated T chapters than usual because there are a lot of side effects from any form of a war.** **Each T chapter will have a notice before to serve as a trigger warning for those who do experience the sensitive topics discussed. For example, this chapter. Many people do go through depressive relapses at varying degrees and my intention is never to negatively impact someone into feeling those emotions again, but rather to help those who've never had them understand what it might feel like. (P.S. I might not personally go through all the topics I write about. Some will include small bits of my own experiences or experiences from those I know, but even then I do as much research as I can to make a more accurate depiction based on the situation.)**

 **I will also touch up on ways to help cope if you experience some of these feelings, or how to help friends through these times. However, these are all case sensitive. In this fictional world, I felt like Clint stating truths and trying not to invalidate her emotions would help Wanda most, but if you want to help a friend through a rough time you should always ask them what works best.**

 **Despite some of the pain of this Civil War, don't worry, there will still be plenty of happier chapters!:)**


	50. Retirement (Civil War)

"Lila, give your brother some syrup," Clint tried to break up the breakfast fight while trying to feed the fussy Nathaniel in his high chair. " _Now_."

"But he ate the rest last time," She complained since there wasn't enough maple syrup to go around the four plates of pancakes. "He didn't give me any then."

Clint thought of how to respond as he cut a pancake into tiny pieces for the toddler. He decided to take a serious ground when he flew the food into Nate's mouth like an airplane, "I've wanted revenge too many times to count, but it never ends happily," He said letting Lila and Cooper consider their actions in a new light, as if this were a drastic situation. Once he saw their faces drop in contemplation, he knew they pushed enough of their anger aside to be open for a compromise. "Share the rest of the syrup with Cooper, your mom and I can go a day without it."

As Nate happily chewed the pancakes due to Clint's new airplane method, Lila and Cooper silently agreed with their father's idea. Glad he was successful, Clint let out a breath. He felt like he had been holding it ever since the events in Lagos nearly four weeks ago. Even though he hadn't witnessed the tragedy firsthand, he had been tense ever since because Wanda was still the center of attention on the news. There were rumors that unnerved him, rumors about how her admittance into America should be revoked, Avenger or not. Rumors about secret government meetings and the potential that this could actually be set into motion any day now.

He hoped it only stayed a rumor, he didn't want his family to be torn apart.

Either way, Clint called Wanda whenever he could. He wanted to make sure that there wasn't any talk on her end about these potential plans, but he mainly wanted to be there for her since this disaster took a huge blow to her mental recovery. He made sure she was able to visit the farm a few times so they could talk in person and take a few days to forget about these stressors. Clint noticed how it helped them both, so he had invited her over again this week.

Pausing mid airplane, his thoughts had been in sync with his ringing phone. It was probably Wanda now, she was bound to have received this week's training schedule and was ready to plan her visit.

Smiling as he took the phone out of his pocket, his face instantly turned to stone when he saw the caller ID.

It wasn't Wanda calling, that's for sure. It wasn't even one of Fury's unknown numbers. It was much worse.

Instantly getting up from his seat, Laura noticed his hast. "Clint? What's wrong?"

Rushing into the living room, Clint was too preoccupied to even process his wife's words. The only words that came out of his mouth were, "Kids, stay silent."

All catching the frown on his face as he disappeared around the corner, they didn't need to be told twice to know it was a serious work call. However, it didn't stop them from sharing their own nervous glances.

Holding the vibrating phone in his hand, he strategically let it ring a couple more times before finally answering. "To what do I owe this honor?" He opened the conversation, not finding any humor in his own sarcasm.

 _"Well if it isn't Clinton Francis Barton,_ " The caller's response was just as deadpan, not finding any amusement in the informal introduction. " _I'm calling you in."_

"You're the Secretary of State, last I checked you don't have authority as to where I work," Clint pointed out, knowing full well that he wouldn't step a foot in any direction Thaddeus Ross told him to go.

 _"Relax Barton,"_ He said, knowing the archer was clenching his fists tighter every time he used his name instead of the general term 'agent.' " _I'm just calling you in for a meeting."_

"Why do you need me at a meeting?" Clint's guard lowered only slightly in confusion. He was relieved he wasn't being asked to murder for this man, but he was still skeptical as to why they needed to talk. The Secretary of the United States government never called for a small chat.

Suddenly realizing this could be about Wanda, his heart skipped a beat. What if the rumors were true?

 _"All of the Avengers are being called in. They need to be made aware of a new proposal between the United Nations and those it concerns. That includes you."_

Clint didn't like the sound of that mixed with his theories. Whatever this proposal was, the fact that the Secretary of State was clearly in charge made it a huge deal. His job was to advise foreign affairs so this clearly involved more than just a few organizations, it involved whole countries.

When Clint didn't respond, Ross continued dryly, " _We need to discuss this matter in person. Can you meet today at the New York headquarters?"_

He shook his head even if the Secretary couldn't see. "I'm currently out of town. It'll take at least a day to get up there," Clint thought as he started planning his transportation. He knew he must resort to unconventional methods to get into the city. Shield wasn't in charge to send over the Quinjet, and to Ross's knowledge, Shield was still dead and long gone.

 _"We can arrange for a vehicle to pick you up,"_ Ross offered only because it was protocol, but Clint easily declined. He wasn't about to let this man gain an inkling of the personal life he kept out of the databases, his family would be put into great danger if Ross knew.

"No, I'm okay," He responded. "I'll be up there by tomorrow morning."

 _"Good. See you then,_ " Thaddeus Ross said before killing the line, not wanting to drag out the conversation when he had other Avengers to contact.

Clint held the phone close to his ear for a long moment, hearing the deafening silence as he got lost in worry. In all his years of this business, nothing had ever come close to what conspired in the past two minutes. An official for the President of the United States had never contacted the Avengers so informally to discuss a mysterious compromise.

This couldn't be good.

Drifting back into the kitchen, he couldn't ignore the pit in his stomach growing which each step. What if this was a meeting about the deportation of Wanda? He couldn't let them take her away, especially when she had no other family to turn to. She'd be living on the streets if the foster care system didn't accept her, which was highly likely because she was eighteen already.

Clint didn't even realize he sat down until he looked back at his family around the table. Everyone seemed paralyzed, with the exception of Nathaniel mashing his pancakes into tiny pieces. Laura was the first to break the uncertainty and asked, "What's wrong, Clint?"

"Nothing," He reassured, but even he knew he did a poor job of convincing them. Instead of lying he added, "I don't think. _Yet_."

"Do you have to leave for work again, daddy?" Lila asked, hoping it wouldn't be the case even after listening to the pieces of his conversation and knowing it would be.

"Yeah," He replied with a forced smile through his own unease. "But don't worry, it's not a mission. Just a meeting."

At least that helped calm her fear of her father being in danger, but he could still tell she was crestfallen from him leaving again.

Noticing everyone's long faces, Clint decided he didn't want his worries to get ahead of him. Whatever was going to happen at the meeting tomorrow, he wouldn't find out until then so there wasn't much point to stressing about it.

"Hey," He poked fun at his family to lighten the mood, "I'll be back before you know it. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

As slight smiles started to go around the table again when their meal continued, he only hoped he was right.

* * *

Clint mentally swore as he noticed he was the only one in the meeting room. Well, the only one who mattered.

Thaddeus Ross was currently inside and facing a window that spanned the whole wall, looking out over the city like he owned the place at the head of his table. He didn't even turn around when Clint entered, instead he simply said, "Sit, please," in the most monotone voice he could muster.

Clint almost rolled his eyes by the purposely placed tension, so in turn he folded his arms and stood at the opposite end of the long table, refusing the request. "Where's the rest of the team?" Clint asked, making sure he knew what to expect from this man. "You've neglected to mention I would be the only one here, I was expecting some _good_ company."

"Sorry to disappoint," Ross replied unapologetically. "Most of your team met with me yesterday, but since you failed to make it on time you are the lucky winner of a one-on-one." Finally turning around to face Clint properly, he placed his hand on top of a thick packet which sat upon the table and pushed it in front of one of the many chairs. "Now sit. We have an important matter to discuss and I have a schedule to keep. You're wasting my time just standing there."

The archer equally wanted this meeting to be over with, so this time he trudged to the chair and sat down. Ignoring the fact that this man was looming over him, he glanced down at the huge booklet. "You don't expect me to read all this, right? Otherwise you'd be standing there for the next week."

"I didn't think you would," He scoffed at his correct prediction. "That's why we're having this meeting. Call it, 'The Dummies Guide to the Accords.'"

"Then please, enlighten me on what these _Accords_ are all about," Clint said as he ignored the belittling comments and actually read the title plastered on the pages:

 _'The Sokovia Accords: Framework for the Registration and Deployment of Enhanced Individuals.'_

After reading that, Clint knew that his gut feeling had been right. Nothing good was going to come from this meeting and it didn't give him hope that this wasn't going to be about Wanda.

"The Avengers have had free reign over their work for far too long, especially after Shield shut down," Ross finally started explaining why he called Clint here. "Nobody has been keeping you guys in check and this lack of supervision has proven to be a fatal error. Thousands of people have died on your watch and the damage to many countries have been costly. These factors have gotten to a point where they can no longer be overlooked. It is time your reckless team is managed properly."

"And how will you do that?" Clint shifted in his seat when his mind instantly drifted to the potential of Wanda getting booted off the Avengers. As he flipped open the packet, he skimmed a couple pages to find some fast answers to his growing questions. Reading the preface quickly through, he kept seeing the repeated idea of the team gaining more management. At first glance, Clint welcomed the idea because more management was the reason why Fury still called him in. However, he didn't get far into reading when he realized what they were trying to do to his team. "Keep us on a leash?" He sighed, knowing that was their game without confirmation.

Thaddeus Ross gave only the slightest of nods. "We need to have more control over what you guys do in order to prevent unnecessary deaths from your carelessness," He said and Clint knew he was thinking of the incident in Lagos. "All of the Avengers will have ground rules. Any enhanced individual will have ground rules, and there will be punishments if they aren't followed so those mistakes don't happen again."

Despite how much he hated Thaddeus, Clint could agree with him on one fact: Preventing unnecessary repercussions and deaths was a priority. If this drawn out document in front of him had effective methods of doing that, he wasn't about to toss it aside just because of the crappy man in charge.

But that was a big 'if.' Having said man run this operation didn't give Clint much hope for its methods. He'd already seen Ross's methods go sour one too many times and he wasn't about to be a part of another one.

"What would these ground rules propose?" The archer questioned, trying to get solid answers instead of relying solely on the wordy, cryptic sentences from the booklet in his hands.

Ross started to pace at his end of the table. "In short, this document states that the Avengers will no longer be a private organization. Your team will operate only under the supervision of the United Nations panel _if_ that panel deems it necessary."

"The United Nations panel?" Clint raised an eyebrow, not liking how that sounded. "How many people are part of this panel, exactly?"

"Representatives from each of the one hundred and seventeen nations that are backing up this document."

That response made Clint slam the packet closed, bringing a hand to his forehead in disbelief. He felt like he aged a few years in the past couple minutes by the wrinkles he rubbed. "One hundred and seventeen people are going to gather in a room and make a decision about what missions to send us on? Do you know how long that will take for them to even come to a decision? Do you realize how time sensitive most of our missions are by the time the intel reaches us?"

"All one hundred and seventeen representatives are willing to take that risk," He simply responded. "With time they will get more efficient but you Avengers can't be making all of the decisions anymore, it's been causing far too much damage."

"Jeez," Clint rubbed his eyes, finally feeling the effects of his early flight out. "I can't believe this..." He muttered under his breath as he tried to wrap his brain around what Ross was saying.

Noticing Clint's reaction, Ross tried to persuade him. "If you think about it, this isn't too different from Shield," He ratted off, instantly making Clint's tense features melt from his face, bringing a frown to it instead. "Shield oversaw all your old missions, you're just gaining a new boss."

Clint couldn't help but interrupt. "Correction, you're giving us one hundred and seventeen new bosses, not one." He said as he leaned forward, his arms on the packet. "Nick Fury was our boss. One man. That's a significant difference."

"You're forgetting the board," He narrowed his eyes at Clint's more threatening posture and the ever growing tension in the room. "Fury wasn't the only one in charge. Even he got orders from the World Security Council."

"A council of five people. _Five_ people, that's reasonable, one hundred and seventeen scattered across the world... not so much." Clint stated, shaking his head as he continued, "And do you remember that time the board nearly bombed New York? Fury had to override that decision by sending us in to stop it. Tony and thousands of innocent people almost died, so as far as I'm concerned, Fury was our only boss."

Ross gritted his teeth and hesitantly spoke, "That specific security board had proven to be corrupt, as Piece clearly displayed," He almost spat but had to hold it back in an effort to be professional. He didn't like the fact that he understood Clint's position. "That is why there are more representatives. Those mistakes won't happen again."

"Maybe not," The Avenger also hated agreeing with the man so he brought up a different point, "But other mistakes might be made. There's so many more variables now to keep track of, and what if we need to go somewhere but they won't let us because it might impact that country's political issues? Shield operatives were able to complete missions and save lives because they could get in and out without being noticed or needing constant approval, that's why it worked. We could do our job efficiently without interference, and I'm afraid this new board will not help in either of those departments."

"Like I said, it will take time for the system to gain efficiency, but it's a step in the right direction. Not all representatives will need to be in attendance at all meetings, only when matters concern them will they be required to come in."

Clint glared at the man in front of him, aware that the tension had rose significantly in the past few minutes. Finally sighing, he brought a hand to his face in an attempt to massage the headache away and ease up the argument. "That's better at least," He said and took a moment to process what he had been told thus far. After that moment, his eyebrows furrowed from a realization. "You're talking as if these Accords are already in use. Don't we get a say in this?"

"You do have a say, on how you want to take it from here," Ross stated firmly. "The actions are already being put in motion, the representatives are having a meeting to confirm and edit the regulations in a few days time, but either way some form of this document is going to be in place."

"Sounds like I don't have a choice on where to take it from here," The archer mumbled and didn't even bother to hide his annoyed tone before peacefully raising it again for clarity. "You could have at least gotten some Avenger input, since this heavily concerns us."

Ross almost smirked, instantly making Clint uncomfortable. "Oh we did. Tony Stark brought the idea of a proposal to our attention and when he discovered a compromise was in the works, he was the first to sign."

"What?" Clint sat up straighter in his chair, not liking that his friend didn't even mention this. "Why wouldn't he talk with the team first?" He thought aloud.

"I couldn't tell you," Ross simply replied. "All I can say is that you have a choice right now. You can either sign this document or sign your retirement."

" _What?_ " He reiterated, this time more dumbfounded than confused. Before he could ask any more questions, the Secretary continued as he slowly walked around the table towards Clint.

"You don't have to decide right now, most of the Avengers are still thinking about it, but a decision must be final by the meeting in Vienna."

Clint held his hand up, stopping the Secretary's train of thought. "So hold on, I can choose to follow these rules or what? What does ' _retirement_ ' mean?"

"Exactly as you think," Ross almost rolled his eyes at the question that was self explanatory. "You will no longer be an Avenger, and you can no longer use your skill sets in any sort of field work or vigilante work." He said the last part specifically while glaring at Clint. "This is a document not just for Avengers to follow, but for any and all enhanced individuals. If they use their abilities for any crime related tasks, they can be held in prison without a trial for as long as the representatives see fit. In short, you won't be permitted to do your job unless you sign, agreeing to the terms that breaking these rules can have direr consequences."

"Hold up," Clint raised his eyebrows. "Did I hear you right? You said we can be imprisoned without a trial?"

"Yes," was his clear cut answer.

Clint muttered a swear under his breath, trying to contain his rage at the idea. Rubbing his forehead yet again he said, "If I have the opportunity to help someone out of a nasty situation, I'm not going to just stand by and watch."

"Then you'll have to face the punishments," Ross stated dryly. "This document makes it illegal for you to take action if it isn't in your job description."

"That's a bit too far, don't you think?" Clint said as he hated the idea of being punished for helping people. He got himself into trouble all the time but if he helped someone and was put into prison for years because of it, his family would suffer the consequences. He couldn't be there for them, and that unnerved him.

However, the opposite end of the spectrum wasn't any better. If he agreed to these terms, he would be on display for the world to see. One slip up and he could land in the same position because they wouldn't give him a trial. If he even agreed to the terms, he still couldn't help everyone he would like because the new board would limit his duties. He had to weigh his options and so far, none of them were appealing.

"You have to set an example for all enhanced who come into play in the future," Ross responded. "If there are exceptions to the rules then there's no point of them being in place if they aren't being followed."

"This is idiotic..." Clint sighed as he felt increasingly uneasy by the idea of these Accords. The more he learned, the more that feeling grew in the pit of his stomach.

Clint contained his ever growing frustration, trying his best to ignore it with his own interruption. "So let me clear this up," Clint looked up at the man in charge, "If I see someone getting beaten up in the street, I can't help them or I'll be thrown into jail too?"

"That's up to the board. Minor situations will likely have little consequences, but it all depends. Preferably you should contact the proper authorities anyways."

"So I'm at a football game then?" He responded, "I'm watching from the sidelines and can't do anything about it. Every Avenger is currently benched unless the board brings us into the field."

"Yes," Ross stated, glad they cleared this up and could move on. "Take some time, think about your decision. You have until I leave this room in..." He looked down at his watch to keep track of when his next meeting was, "a half hour, or have an answer ready by the time it's discussed in Vienna."

"Great," Clint said as sarcastically as one could muster. "I have two days to make a decision about the rest of my career."

"It shouldn't be that hard for you to come to a conclusion," He replied and Clint could already tell by his tone where the conversation would lead. "After all, you've made worse decisions on the spot."

Clint almost didn't dare continue the topic of mention, but his pride in his job prevented him from staying quiet about the uncalled for comment. "Like _what?_ "

"Among the death of thousands of people, the property damage has been significant indicating that being the supervisor of your own work is not your strong suit."

Standing up, Clint had had enough of their passive aggressive fight. He couldn't stand for these discrete insults any longer.

"It isn't our strong suit?" Clint placed his hands on top of the booklet to gain intimidation. "Did you forget the Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project, _Mr. Thaddeus Ross_?"

The Secretary's face instantly paled at the mention of the project that accidentally created the hulk. The project _he_ was in charge of.

Before he could properly respond through his anger, Clint did it for him, "Our government, with more than just five board members mind you, approved of that _disaster_. If it wasn't for Shield intervening, you would have killed more people than you did. In multiple attempts to capture and analyze the beast you've created, you and your men put cities in danger from your reckless methods. You even brought a raging Hulk to a college campus for heavens sake! So don't tell me that our strong suit isn't protecting people when you literally destroyed a campus and unnecessarily put kids in the hospital." He almost shouted at him, finally giving this man a small piece of his mind after holding it back for many years. "That whole event shouldn't have even happened, yet here we are," Clint theatrically spread his hands out in front of him, gesturing to the two of them bickering like old enemies. As far as Clint was concerned, they had become enemies the day he had to shut down Ross's old operation.

Biting his lip in an attempt to compose himself and his rising anger, Ross replied through clenched teeth. "And what, _exactly,_ is the reason you're bringing up that event?"

"For one, stop acting like you've never done anything wrong and tell the government to stop blaming us for every breath we take," Clint didn't faulted in his glare, slowly taking his hands off of the table to stand straight as a nail. "At least when we cause property damage or can't save everyone, it was necessary to save the greater population and prevent thousands more from dying. Not because of the greed in obtaining Banner's DNA to recreate a super solider serum and become filthy rich by selling it to as many militaries as you can. You manipulated Bruce into helping you when your original project was shut down. All damage the Hulk caused in the past and in the future, that's on you Thaddeus. That's your mistake."

Ross seemed to take a step closer as if about to physically fight Clint, but at the last second he held himself back for the sake of not losing his job.

They glared at each other for a few tense minutes, both holding themselves back from lashing out further until finally, Ross spoke. "You have two options, Barton," His voice was low but once again formal. "Sign, or retire. Decide. _Now_."

Clint thought for a long moment, weighing his options one last time. The positives and negatives of both sides seemed almost equal depending on how he looked at the situation, but after this argument there was one, single factor came into play for the archer. One factor that made Clint's decision clear as day.

Crossing his arms, he let out a shallow breath as he tried to not overthink his decision. "If you are ultimately in charge of these Accords, I'm sorry but I can not sign. I refuse to work under the supervision of someone with a horrible track record our own government buried. I can't trust that your influence on the board's choices are the right ones."

Thaddeus Ross turned his back to Clint, walking around the table to his briefcase. Bringing out a separate piece of paper, he waved it in front of him, motioning for Clint to take it. "Is that official?"

Grabbing the paper and reading it quickly through, he was fine until he read the last line of the document. It made his heart sink.

" _Do you agree to the terms and regulations regarding your retirement from your position as an Avenger?"_

Taking the pen that was supposed to be used for signing the Accords, Clint hesitantly signed the paper. There was a chance he could be making the wrong call, but he felt like he had to trust his gut on this one.

He prayed that this time, his gut was right.

Taking one last look at his signature for retirement, he handed it back to Ross. "This is official, Mr. Ross."

"Then good day, Mr. Barton," He said as Clint already started walking out of the room, the door slamming shut once his sentence was finished.

Wandering down the New York City streets, Clint finally started to feel the weight of his decision as the tension died down. He was officially retired. The Avengers would never be the same if others made the same choice. He couldn't train or fight alongside his friends ever again, he couldn't even be a vigilante and help people through that. He was completely done. Even if Shield secretly ran ignoring all this, if he was caught helping... He could tell it wouldn't end well without a trial. He had a feeling Fury had to stay extra low until this mess died down, but even if Fury came by with another errand of business, Clint had to make the decision: either continue with the risk of being a fugitive for eternity or to fully retire.

Taking a deep breath as he weaved between the foot traffic of the city sidewalks, he found a little comfort in the fact that he at least didn't have to make this decision now, or alone. He had Laura, he had his family, he had his friends. Even if the best option ended up being to stop doing the job he loved, he smiled at the fact that he could at least spend more time with his family.

Retirement wouldn't be all bad, he still had the people he loved most by his side and there was far less risk of someone like Thaddeus discovering they existed. He could protect his family, his main priority.

Yeah, retirement wouldn't be all bad.

* * *

 **Politics are a mess. Whether someone is Team Ironman or Team Cap, I thought it was important to take into consideration some more positives and negatives of both sides of the Accords while conveying why Clint might have chosen what he did. Since it wasn't elaborated on in the movie, I feel like a lot of factors may have caused his decision, more factors than just his family, and it was interesting to delve deeper into that.**

 **But besides this chapter, if you're wondering where the hell I've disappeared to again, keep reading...**

 **It's been a hot minute. I can firmly say that the past few months have been the most insane I've ever had. So many random situations arose but don't worry, I'm doing fine. I've realized that anxiety has been a monster and a half to deal with but I'm currently getting help from college therapists and am hopeful for results:)**

 **That being said, as much as I want to write and proofread these chapters every day, I know my current priorities have to lie elsewhere for the time being. This means even more inconsistent posting schedules. I will still be working on this story, just very slowly depending on unforeseen factors. But we're on the road to improvement! And I'm so thankful for all of you who still continue to support this story amidst this mess, you guys are the mvp's.**

 **Thanks for sticking around, and hopefully I'll post again soon!**


	51. Cap Calling (Civil War)

Clint groaned as he groggily tried to find his phone by slapping the nearby nightstand. He didn't want to open his eyes, and he was determined not to when it was likely an ungodly hour to be awake. He was even willing to ignore it but after hearing the ringing nonstop for the past thirty seconds, it had proven it wouldn't stop by itself. He just wanted to fall back into the sweet release of sleep...

Continuing to feel around his bedside table having no luck finding his phone, he let out a deep sigh when he realized luck wouldn't be on his side. Unwillingly, he flipped onto his stomach and opened his eyes just a crack to find its bright glow in the darkness of the bedroom. Trying to reach out, he heard Laura shift away from the struggle next to her. Clint could tell she had the same idea as him, she just wanted to fall back asleep.

Successfully picking up his phone after what felt like an eternity, he tried to shield his eyes from the burning light as he fumbled to find the off button. Before he could shut it down however, he noticed the number calling. It was an unknown number. That meant Fury.

Running on instinct in his half asleep state, he closed his eyes again and answered with his face planted back into his pillow. "Hello?" Clint annoyingly asked, his voice barely audible after being muffled from the barrier.

" _Sorry to wake you_ ," A softer voice than expected replied, " _But I need your help."_

Clint furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when he didn't hear Fury's aggressive tone. After figuring out who the voice belonged to, he turned his head in the pillow just enough so his words could actually be heard on the other end. "Captain? Why the hell are you calling at this hour?" He questioned between a tired sigh, "I don't even know what hour it is. Can't it wait till morning?" Clint complained as sleep was slowly tugging at the back of his mind despite each second that passed caused him to be more awake.

Steve let out his own sigh on the other line. " _No, this can't wait much longer. I know you're retired, but we need all the help we can get right now. Help isn't very easy to come by in our... current situation."_

Clint didn't like the way this sounded as his foggy brain cleared just enough to remember what had happened on the news these past few days. There was a bombing at the Accords meeting in Vienna which resulted in the death of the Wakandan king among twelve others. To make matters worse, if appeared that Bucky was the one who set off the bomb due to surveillance footage. Clint didn't know all the details of what happened after that, all he knew was Steve and Sam were taken into custody for aiding Bucky's escape attempt, but all of them broke out within a short amount of time. All the information he had was from the news coverage, and there may have been a lot of it between these past few days, but all of it had been vague.

Clint raised his head from the pillow in an attempt to slowly start waking up his body up. He could tell whatever was wrong, it was important enough that he needed to make an effort to pay attention instead of giving in to his desire to call it a night. "What is it, Steve?"

There was a moment of silence before he answered. _"You've seen the news, you know the situation with Bucky?"_

"Yeah," Clint replied. "He caused the bombing in Vienna."

" _He didn't cause the bombing,"_ Steve instantly defended right after the archer spoke. He said it so surely that Clint immediately believed him despite not knowing the whole story. " _He was framed, and there's something else going on. Something big_." He continued, and Clint couldn't help but stiffen after hearing that. He could tell by the Captain's tone that he wasn't exaggerating. " _Someone framed Bucky to flush him out of hiding and get information from him. The information they got… It could put the whole world in jeopardy."_

"Steve," He asked, sensing his hesitance to spill the beans even after saying the world was at risk. Clint didn't blame him, if the news was at least partly accurate, his friends had been through hell and back in these past few days alone. He wouldn't have trusted anyone either if he was in their place. "What is it? If you want me to help, I need to know."

After a brief pause, he finally gave a straight answer. " _There are more Winter Soldiers. Worse Winter Soldiers._ "

Clint's half opened eyes widened fully at that. He could only imagine the damage that could be done by a team of those powerful people, minus the morals of Bucky. "In summary, this really is bad news," Clint understood.

 _"Exactly. We need to stop the man who framed Bucky before he gets to them, but I doubt Tony will listen to us based on our current circumstances_."

There was silence for a moment as Clint realized just how right his previous assumptions were. The team hadn't been the same since the Accords, Natasha called him before Vienna to discuss her decision, and by that talk Clint detected a divide growing between the now two teams: those who signed and those who didn't. Now that these various situations unfolded, he heard just how empty Steve seemed to feel having only a few people on his side when he was used to leading an army.

Letting out a breath in hopes to ease his own growing tension from the situation, Clint continued. "What can I do, Cap?"

 _"I don't want to drag you into this, Clint…_ " Steve started but didn't get to finish.

"Steve," Clint interrupted as he finally took off the covers and sat up properly in his bed, legs hanging off the side. "If you called me then you clearly need help. What can I do?"

 _"I need some help at putting together a team. We're currently outnumbered, Bucky, Sam, and I, and since we are currently being hunted down we can't gather the help we need to stop this man without being taken in_." Steve explained.

"Who do I need to pick up?" He instantly responded.

Steve hesitated. He didn't know how much Clint knew about each member of the former Avengers, but he could already guess his reaction to their first recruit idea. _"First off is Wanda_ ," He finally began before giving a necessary update. " _She's being confined in the new Avengers Training Facility, Vision's making sure she stays put."_

"What? She's on house arrest? Why?" Clint raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Due to his outburst, Laura stirred awake, unable to ignore the chatter any longer. When she turned to face her husband, she tried to decipher the conversation even while he had his back to her.

" _Tony thinks he's protecting Wanda,"_ Steve sighed. " _But he's just keeping her in a cage, no matter how luxurious a cage it is."_

Clint turned as he heard Laura sit up in the bed. They shared a worried glance when she realized who he was talking to and who they were talking about. The archer could see where Tony was coming from, as much as he really didn't like it. With the Accords on the news, if Wanda was recognized in public she might get some unwanted attention.

But the methods Tony used to prevent that, was not Clint's favorite option. It was his least favorite. It was like she was imprisoned with a 24 hour guard, no kid deserved that.

Wanda was their family, and if she needed to stay low Clint was willing to help without keeping her locked up. He was an expert at it after all. "Don't worry, I'll break Wanda out. What's my next stop?"

" _A man named Scott Lang,"_ He replied, the name sounding unfamiliar to Clint. " _According to Sam he has some unique abilities that could prove to be useful. We need to ask him if he's willing to help."_

Steve sighed on his end of the line. If he was being honest, he had no clue who this man was either or if he would even want to assist, but all of them were out of options. These were the only few people with the potential of helping.

But he didn't like it. Captain America was recruiting people to break the law and that never completely sat right to him, even if he firmly believed he needed to bend the rules. He mainly hated having to drag a team down with a decision he made, so before Clint could ask any more questions Steve continued. " _After you drop them off, you can feel free to leave before you are associated with helping us. I don't want you to suffer the consequences of going against the law on this one. Tony will likely catch up with us soon and if you're imprisoned… Who knows how long it'll take before you can see them again."_ He discretely referred to his family. " _They still need you, Clint."_

"Steve," Clint let out a breath when he and Laura shared a silent conversation as she scooted next to him onto the bed, "I'll worry about us, but you forget that the team is part of my family, I'm not going to abandon you. I'll get the two of them to you, just tell me where to find Lang and where to meet. I'll worry about the rest."

" _Thanks, Clint."_ Steve said before there was a loud rumble on the other line. Clint could barely make out Sam's voice in the background saying, ' _they probably caught our signal. We have to relocate.'_

The Captain's voice suddenly returning, he quickly finished the conversation. " _I'll contact you later, we have to keep moving."_

"Stay safe guys," Clint wished immediately before the line went dead.

As he looked down at his phone, he briefly contemplated the situation that unfolded in the past two minutes. Finally dropping it onto the bed next to him, he buried his face in his hands and took in a deep breath. Uncovering his eyes, his hands seemed to rub away the sleep when they traveled to the back of his head and firmly latched together. As if he was laying against his hands like they were a pillow in mid air, he faced his wife again. They stared at each other for a prolonged minute, both of them understanding the situation and both of them not enjoying it.

"They need you, don't they?" She asked, disappointment scattering her tone as they both knew that Clint would never be able to fully retire. The Avengers would always need some extra help, they'd always need Clint to come back in.

Letting his arms fall from his head, he gently reached out for Laura's hand. "They do. Wanda does. I'm sorry."

This time, Laura sighed while she lightly squeezed his hand in hers. "You know I understand, it's just... I know you need to go but... I worry. With the news, if you get wrapped up in this mess too deep…" She couldn't bring herself to finish. She also knew the consequences of disobeying the Accords, the news made it clear with their man hunt for their friends even after Clint spelled it out from his retirement meeting with Thaddeus Ross. She just didn't want that to happen to him as well.

"I _will_ be back. I promise you." There was a break in his thoughts as he quickly tried to make a hard decision. "If I get a chance to head out before a mess starts, I promise I'll take it. Right now, they just need me to pick up some help."

Laura shook her head, knowing that he was promising that for her sake even if it meant bad news for everyone else involved. "No, just do what you need to do. If they need you, you need to stay. If you believe you need to fight, do what feels right. I trust your decision. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

Clint slowly nodded, not exactly liking how he had to agree but he knew Laura was right. She always was. Still holding hands, he rested his forehead against hers with closed eyes. They both felt slightly comforted but they couldn't help but notice how eerily quiet the dark room was. When they moved to embrace each other in a hug to drown out the uneasy air, she seemed to melt into Clint's shoulder when she laid her head across it. Enjoying their embrace even if it was an uneasy one, Laura whispered into her husband's ear, "Keep Wanda safe, okay?"

Clint silently nodded while carefully rubbing her back. Wanda was family now, the kids adored her, Laura took her under her wing, and Clint always made sure she was doing okay. Even if he didn't want to get involved in Ross's situation, knowing Wanda may need an extra helping hand was enough motivation to throw himself into the scurry.

Pulling away, they looked each other in the eyes and he lightly planted a kiss on the top of her head. "I will. I promise that much."

Sharing a full kiss before hesitantly pulling away, they knew that Clint had to get going. He stretched away his longing for sleep and headed to the closet to change out of his pajamas into a grey T-shirt and jeans.

Crossing her legs as she continued to sit on the bed, the couple couldn't seem to keep their eyes away from each other for very long. The room felt cold, colder than any other night when Clint got a call to go into work. A situation like this never happened before, it felt like they were in a childish fight between choosing friend groups as their circle broke to pieces, except this instance didn't have childish consequences. They couldn't help but feel deep down that something bad was going to happen no matter what they did in this situation because no outcome seemed good with the team split apart. They couldn't help but continue sharing nervous glances as Clint picked up his leather jacket and mission ready bag.

As he started to walk out of the room, Laura soon trailing behind, he didn't even open the door before stopping.

"What?" Laura asked when she noticed his hand gripping the door knob without twisting it.

"It's just…" He drifted back into reality. "The kids are sleeping and I don't want to wake them…"

Laura placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, letting him know that everything would be okay. "Wake them. They won't mind."

He nodded when he realized what she really said. This may just be the last time he _could_ see them if he got too deep into this. He had to take this chance to say goodbye, just in case.

God he hoped that wouldn't be the case, but he just could not shake the feeling that this mission was going to end differently than the others.

Finally gathering the courage to open the door, he proceeded to walk into Nathaniel's nursery first. Laura let him have a moment alone as he silently watched the one year old sleep from the doorway. Seeing how peaceful the child rested helped ease some of Clint's worries that he walked closer to his son's crib. Arms resting on the edge of the railing, he noted how Nate had tossed the blanket aside as he now laid on his back. Giving out a barely audible chuckle, Clint gently tucked the blanket back around him to keep his small body warm. Also noting the teddy bear that had been pushed away, Clint brought it closer to carefully nuzzle up against Nate's face.

He did his best not to wake him, but it was to no avail as the child sensed the plush bear closer to his cheeks and wrapped his arms around it with a smile. A couple seconds later, Nathaniel opened his eyes and noticed his dad hovering over him. As if instantly awake, he babbled some unknown words before reaching out his small hands towards his dad.

Clint beamed as he took the child and the bear he clung to in his arms. He had a few silent moments bouncing him before Laura came up and hugged his side, also smiling down at the child.

Feeling the need to fill the air, Clint spoke to the child who wouldn't understand what he was saying. "I have to go, Nate. I'll be back soon, but I expect you to be on your best behavior while I'm gone. Don't be too fussy for mama."

The child simply laughed and reached out to touch Clint's stubble goatee. Feeling the tiny hands on his unshaven face made him laugh. "I'll take that as a 'yes sir,'" He responded for the toddler.

Clint continued to hold the child until he started reaching out to Laura. He took that as his sign to keep moving and transferred the child into her arms, but not before he gave his son a kiss on the head.

With three of the five family members exiting the nursery, Laura and Nate split off to wake Cooper while Clint headed to Lila's room. He opened the door carefully and watched her from a distance because he still didn't want to interrupt his kid's slumber knowing they wouldn't be able to go back to bed after this news. He soon moved to sit on the edge of Lila's bed however, hesitant to nudge his soundly sleeping daughter awake even if he knew he had to.

"Sweetie…" Clint whispered as it took a few shakes of her shoulder before she actually started to wake.

She let out a groan in slight annoyance, trying to bury herself under her covers but her father persisted in pestering her. "Dad… What are you doing?" Lila complained before rolling over to face her father. She frowned as her eyes focused and noticed he wasn't in his pajamas. "Why are you dressed?"

Clint gave a comforting smile to his nine year old as he gave her the news he knew she didn't want to hear. "I have to go to work."

She frowned in confusion. "I thought you were done with work?"

"I technically still am, but something came up. Uncle Steve needs my help, and so does Wanda. I need to go help them."

Lila instantly worried at that statement and quickly sat upright in her bed. "Are they okay?"

Clint nodded to reassure the frantic child. "Don't worry, they're fine. I just need to help them with a situation before it gets out of hand."

Seeing Lila let out a sigh of relief, she put that worry into the back burner of her mind before asking about another worry on her mind. "Will this be a dangerous mission?"

He wished he could give her a straight answer. "I don't know, it depends on how it all unfolds. But it won't be all dangerous, right now I just need to pick up Wanda."

He could tell she wasn't completely happy with that answer of uncertainty, but she was at least happy it wouldn't be like one of his super dangerous missions. Instead of dwelling on the uncertainty, she tried to get some more definite answers from her father. "Do you know when you will be back?"

Clint couldn't help but frown knowing he couldn't help answer her many questions. "I'm sorry, I don't know that either but I'll try to be back soon, okay?"

Clearly disappointed and still worried, she responded, "Does that mean no water skiing this weekend?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry," He replied as he ran a hand through her hair in hopes to sooth her. "I'll make it up to you guys when I return though, promise. After all, I'd hate to miss out on water skiing too, so we _need_ to reschedule," He smiled.

Glad for her dad's attempt at distracting her, she gave a smile before catching him off guard with a bear hug. "Okay dad."

Gladly hugging back just as big, Clint embraced the moment as long as he could. He could tell she didn't want to let him go either, but it eventually had to end. Smiling brightly at Lila with a comforting hand still on her shoulder, he coaxed her out of bed. "Come on, let's go see if Cooper's up."

They followed each other into the hallway, Lila holding on tightly to Clint's hand as they saw the other three outside of Cooper's room. Cooper had a worried look on his face too after Laura updated him on the situation, however, he put on a smirk when he saw him.

"Be careful out there, _Hawkeye,_ " Cooper joked only to regret it when Clint used his free hand to ruffle his son's bedhead. "Hey! That'll be impossible to comb out tomorrow!"

"Well," Clint laughed when he pulled his son into a hug instead. "You should know better than to mess with me, mini _Hawkeye_."

Nathaniel noticed the embrace and wanting to be included, the whole family seemed to join together for a group hug. Despite how amazing it felt for the whole family to be together like this, they all had a sinking feeling that this would be the last time they saw Clint for a while.

But that only meant they cherished this moment even more, right up until Clint had to grab the last of his gear with the family trailing behind. As they stood together on the porch with nothing but the porch light to see him off in the dead of night, Clint turned around to give one last reassuring smile. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Looking at Lila and Cooper, an idea suddenly crossed his mind. "Hey, can you two do something for me while I'm away?"

They nodded almost excitedly as Lila was the first to ask, "What?"

"It's a pretty big assignment, but I think you two can do it," He said to prolong their curiosity for just a moment more. "Look after the deer for me. I expect a full report when I get back."

After hearing that, Cooper groaned sarcastically. "Not more homework."

"Oh you'll survive." Clint said and gave his son's shoulder a light slap. Before stepping off the porch and onto the gravel, he gave Laura one last kiss. Hearing the kids mutter a little about how disgusting kissing was, with a smirk he got into his beat up truck and plopped his bag and bow in the passenger seat. "Take care of each other." Clint said out of the open window before waving to his worried family. He could have sworn he even saw Nathaniel give him a small wave before he drove off.

Once he was off of his property, he let out a breath he had been holding. Sometimes, Clint hated his job. Sometimes, it felt like each time he left tore his family apart with fear. Sometimes, he didn't want to get involved in situations like this one, but he knew he had to in order to keep his family safe.

He just hoped that this time, he wasn't getting involved in a situation he couldn't swim out of.


End file.
